The Spirit of the Slaves
by Elemental-Zer0
Summary: CH6 UP! When Alan Tracy is taken by two drug bandits he finds himself in a bigger frying pan than he first thought arriving in an unknown place far from any civilisation with no proof of his identity he must fight for his life or lose his spirit forever..
1. Chapter 1

**(_Preview_)**

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'**Elemental-Zer0 Productions'**

**Presents…

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A lone truck trundled down the small muddy track, its quivering headlamps jumped at every bump it rolled over. The rusty motor echoed loudly throughout the surrounding fields…

He switched the engine off and stepped out of the cab, lighting a cigarette as he did before he turned to the knighted man and nodded…

"You have them?" he asked, his gruff voice grated loudly into the dark night around them, but he had no fear of being caught in his devious plans…

"Yeh, I got ehm." The driver said with a mixed cockney yet foreign accent…

"Good, unload them, we'll take it from here."

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**A Mimi-Corp "Film" (Story)…

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"Would you be careful with that stuff! It's highly explosive!" A battered young man agonisingly urged as another man grabbed a box roughly and dumped it on the bed of the truck…

They both looked up in horror…

The box teetered on the edge…

Then as if in slow motion, it toppled over and fell…

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**Starring; **

**The Thunderbirds

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**

Alan looked up; The Rescue alarms were calling him to his duty. The sound of powerful engines filled the cockpit and a sense of purpose and belonging hit him head on. A small smile grew on his lips…

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**With Bill Paxton as Jeff Tracy

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**

"Virgil get out of there!" he called but his son wasn't listening to him…

"No! I can't leave Alan in there! The whole buildings gonna blow!"

"That is exactly why you need to get out!"

"No! Alan!"

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**And Brady Corbet as Alan Tracy

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**

He quickly dodged a falling beam and rolled into a makeshift shelter…

He looked up at the sound of voices nearby and found a soot ridden man in a white lab coat fumbling around in a storage box…

"Hey what are you doing back here?" his attention distracted. A shadowed man crept up behind him; a rough piece of wood in his hands…

"Wait a minute…This isn't a Chemist's lab…This is a drug bust…" Darkness hit him hard.

"What are you doing? We can't take him with us!" The sooty man cried.

"Will you open your eyes? He's seen too much, he's seen our faces! We can't leave him here to confirm who we are later…"

"So why not kill him?"

"Why kill him? The Boss'll get a hefty price for his pretty head…"

* * *

**_When Alan Tracy is kidnapped by two drug bandits he finds himself in a bigger frying pan than he first thought…he ends up in a place where no one will listen to him and the authorities are so corrupted they may was well be the enemy…

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_**

"I'm sorry kid but that be the law 'round here…now go on! Git outta here afore I git my gun and make ya dance!" Alan quickly got the hint that he was not joking and rapidly moved on.

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_**But he soon finds even more of a twist inside the corruptions and violence…and Alan becomes a liability that knew too much, a dangerous situation to be in…

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**_

"I say we kill the bastard…he's been giving us the stick for too long!"

"What about the hands on his land?"

"kill 'em, they'll only lead the FBI back to us so don't let a single one escape…if any one of them get outta there, we're all dead…"

A scream awoke him…a light flickered outside…he stood and crept to the door that stood ajar…he slowly opened it wider and peered out…

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**_Now he is forced to act and save as many people as he can…while trying to out run the biased law and keeping his skin alive in a hostile environment that wants him dead…

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"We can't go to anyone! We're nobodies! We have no say in this country! How are we supposed to get anyone to listen to us?" old brown eyes looked into his soul… "We're helpless…"

"Never give up hope! My Father taught me never to give up; no matter how hopeless the situation got…there is always a way out…there is always a rescuing hand to help us…"

"You have brave words boy, but these old bones will do no good. These spirits here are broken…your rescue will have to come from somewhere else…"

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_**But he is betrayed…

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**_

"He's the one who knows…he saw everything…" Alan paled as the accusing finger pointed to him…

"Bring him to me…"

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_**Beaten…**_

He wheezed harshly, his ribs had to be broken…he could see the blood pouring from his side but was helpless to stop it…

"Where's your brave words now boy?"

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_**And he comes very close to losing everything…

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**_

"Dad! We need your help!"

"Alan! Oh thank god you're ok…

"No dad I'm not ok! They're going to kill us!"

"Who's going to kill you?"

"The Knight of Farringdon! He's crooked Dad, he's gonna kill me!"

"Calm down Alan, where are you?" he broke down in sobs, wishing for it all to end…

"I don't know…" His spirit was breaking…

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**_But in the midst of it all, a strength he didn't know he had, gives him the hope to carry on…

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"Who do you think you are boy?"

"I'm Alan Tracy! Son of Jeff Tracy! I am a somebody and you're not going to break me!"

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…**_To fight back…

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The sword came flying towards his head but he parried it quickly…his vision blurred at the sudden movement but he pressed on…unwilling to let death claim him…unwilling to yield.

"You're mine Tracy!"

"Never…"

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_**As the Thunderbirds race to save their youngest member time quickly runs out as the ticking bomb slowly counts down to zero…

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**_

Jeff looked around frantically; he knew his son was here but where…

Before he knew it; an explosion rocked the floor and engulfed the building in a fiery blaze of heat and flames…

His worst fears came back to haunt him…

"Alan!"

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_**Elemental-Zer0 gives to you;**_

'**The Spirit of the Slaves'**

**_(Coming soon to a Fan Fiction website near you!)_**

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Disclaimer: This is a Fanfiction story ofthe Thunderbirdsand is in no way affiliated with the production of the movie. All Charactors and other material related to the Thunderbirds used are not intended to infringe on any Copyrights owned by Universal Pictures and Carlton International Media Ltd.

All Actorsmentioned are in no way involved in this Fiction for any reason,I take sole responsibility for any mistakes or offense that may be taken but truly not meant.

But this story plot and all my OC'sare Copyright © 2006 to me...


	2. An Eerie Light

**The Spirit of the Slaves**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Thunderbirds but my Grandma's neighbour does…-cheers!- I get free merchandise! W00t!

**Summary:** When Alan Tracy is kidnapped by two drug bandits he finds himself in a bigger frying pan than he first thought. Arriving in an unknown place far from any other civilisation with no identity and no escape he must fight for his life or lose his spirit forever… (-Movie Take-)

**Warnings:** Drug abuse, Psychological references, and kidnapping…You are forewarned

**A/N: Ok people, this Chapter will be slow compared to the Preview but the story's gotta start somewhere right? Anyways I hope it's not too disappointing. **

**Enjoy…

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**Chapter One:** An Eerie Light…

A lone truck trundled down the small muddy track, its quivering headlamps jumped at every bump it rolled over. The rusty motor echoed loudly throughout the surrounding fields. The driver slowed when his light picked out a tall well built figure standing in his path. He came to a stop half a meter away from hitting his boss's buyer.

He switched the engine off and stepped out of the cab, lighting a cigarette as he did before he turned to the man and nodded. The buyer stepped forward in his pristine suit and top hat; a professional scowl on his face.

"You have them?" he asked, his deep voice ground out loudly into the dark night around them, but he had no fear of being caught in his devious plans. After all he owned these lands and they extended for miles and miles. He had his own security posted all around, covering every last square millimetre of his land making sure nothing got in …and that nothing got out either.

"Yip, ah got ehm." The driver said with a mixed cockney yet foreign accent. It was all part of security, these guys knew how to mask their features and voice so that they could slip away from their own friends and family without fear of being recognised should they meet at anytime again. The buyer nodded approvingly before turning to a hidden van behind him.

"Good, unload them, we'll take it from here." He turned quickly giving no room for argument and headed back behind the van that was now visible. He paused to watch as his delivery was unloaded, scanning the goods with a practised eye before nodding in satisfaction and returning to the comfort of his limousine hidden behind the van. His new goods would take a few days to adjust to the routine of things but he was sure they'd fit in perfectly.

Besides any arrests and evidence found against him could easily be paid off with his healthy hidden wealth. Even if he was found out, it would only be his reputation ruined…but then again his reputation was what put him in the position he was in right now; a wealthy, honourable knighted man by day and a profound dirty goods trader by night.

* * *

It was slowly turning to dusk in the south of France, a storm had just passed over and the winds were beginning to die down. Occasional showers lightly danced in the skies of Toulon over a small warehouse near the coast. Voices could be heard from inside but no one paid much attention, for no one was around.

"Would you be careful with that stuff! It's highly explosive!" A battered young man agonisingly urged as another man grabbed a box roughly and dumped it on the bed of the truck before turning back to the geek that was his bosses contact. He was dressed in a lab coat and had thick geeky glasses on.

"Explosive huh? And you couldn't tell me this before I dumped it?" he asked sarcastically as he eyed the box he'd just thrown into the truck. His leather coat flapped in the small draught as he jumped down from the truck glaring at the boxes he was to deliver. He leaned back on the stack they were loading but stood back when the stack gave way slightly. Luckily it didn't fall over or they'd be in a real mess.

"Well Jack, it's not like you asked! It's all part of the process! There's no way it'd mix together if it wasn't explosive, the chemical properties just wouldn't react!" The geek began to ramble not noticing the stack as is began to sway. But the other man wasn't listening.

"Look Ferris, I'm not the science freak here, you are! I'm just paid to deliver, so either you help me or we're both in trouble got it?" They both felt the shivers at his words. Their boss was not one to mess with. Ferris recovered first,

"Fine! All I'm saying is be caref-" but before he could finish, he noticed that the top most crate had begun to slip. Wondering what had had the geek so frightened Jack looked up and almost died at what he saw. The box was wobbling dangerously above them.

"Er, just how explosive is this stuff anyway?" he asked watching, waiting to run…a feeling familiar with his line of work but only with people, not a ticking time bomb. Even if he ran now he'd still never escape the explosion…

"Very…" Ferris squeaked. Both men watched in horror paralysed as it teetered on the edge of the high stack. Jack quickly looked around for a way out, but his eyes only landed on the truck and then the floor…

Then as if in slow motion, the box toppled over and fell…

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Darkness lulled over the island. A small strong breeze warped through the forest leaves as an eerie hush fell upon the inhabiting wildlife within. Small droplets of salty fresh rainwater filtered softly from the sky, creating a sparkling scene that looked almost like glittering confetti. The soft crashing of waves slowed slightly before picking up again in a gentle rhythm, slowly becoming a little more violent with each crash. A low rumbling sound echoed around the baby cliffs and a slight flash on the horizon indicated a tropical storm in the making.

Alan Shepherd Tracy was sat on his bedroom balcony watching as the thunderstorm rolled in over head. He had always loved a good storm, it seemed to clear the air, release the tension and bring a clean fresh feeling to the island. And not a moment too soon either he thought. The friction within his family had been festering for a while now and it seemed only fair for there to be a break in the rigid emotions wallowing inside the villa.

He dangled his feet over the small lip of the balcony underneath the railings and leant his head on the metal poles. The rain began to fall heavier now but he remained sat, protected by the awning overhead. His deep blue eyes casually scanned the surrounding views and took in the beauty of it all; the luscious green forestry to the right, the blue rolling sea in front and the rocky cliffs to the far left all seemed to be preparing for the incoming storm.

A small flash had his eyes darting to the horizon instinctively. Seconds later a strong gust whipped his blond hair against his forehead as a louder rumbling echoed across the ocean's surface to greet his ears. He sighed; his Mom had loved thunderstorms too apparently. His brothers had told him of how she would sit on the porch of their old home with him as a baby on her lap and watch the storms together for hours as they raged above.

Lucille had been a mystery to Alan ever since he was old enough to wonder about her. He had very little memories of her and those that he did have were broken and confusing. He'd asked about her often; his Dad would tell him of how she was so caring and full of life, Scott would recall how she seemed to be happy no matter what went wrong. Virgil would play the songs she taught him on the piano, John would retell the stories she used to tell to get him to go to sleep with and Gordon would remember how she used to be able to diffuse even the biggest arguments that were developing before her and keep everybody happy.

Thunder rumbled loudly overhead but he heard nothing. Lucille had sounded like a wonderful person, perfect in every way imagined. But she was still a mystery to him. Why did she have to go before he could spend even a little more time with her? Why did she have to leave him with hardly any memories of her existence? Of coarse these were old questions that will probably never be answered and he knew that deep inside. But he could still ponder…

The blinding flash caught him off guard and he practically jumped out of his skin. The deafening crack of thunder had adrenalin pumping around his body at three times its natural speed. A grin broke out on his face; this was why he loved storms! They were so unpredictable, they kept you on your toes, waiting, anticipating the next blow and how hard or soft it would be…

He looked up from under the awning and could barely see anything. The clouds were as dark as a midnight sky in the dead of night. But his gaze dropped down to the forest for an unknown reason and he spotted something that looked a little odd. Slowly he stood on his balcony; a frown creasing his brow as he peered out. Was that a light?

But before he could react or think on it some more, the Rescue alarms sounded calling him to his duty. He had a feeling his father wouldn't let him go on this one, not after the stunt he'd pulled last time; the reason for the flaring tempers. But he had to turn up anyway; it was his duty, his privilege…his choice.

He gave one last look at the phenomenon that had his gut twisting before turning back into his room to report to his Father.

Jeff watched with a proud eye as all his sons reported immediately to the sound of the alarm. Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Alan stood confidently before their portraits on the wall while John's image replaced his. All were accounted for and ready for whatever Danger could throw at them.

"What have we got John?" He asked in his commanding voice as he turned to John's image. John snapped to attention immediately and began his report with a practised poker face.

"Ok, we got a fire in Southern France, Toulon. A warehouse holding chemicals for a chemist has gone up in flames. Origin of the fire is unknown. Fire chiefs can hear people inside but can't get in to help. The call for help was made 42 seconds ago." John recited as though from memory. Jeff quickly reeled off the equipment needed in his head while running through every scenario he could think of to help prepare his sons for what could be an extremely dangerous situation.

"Ok boys, you'll need gas masks, heat suits, hard hats, the Firefly and the Mole, take all the oxygen tanks you can and prep the medical bay on Thunderbird Two." He glanced over at Alan and met his gaze evenly. "You're all going on this one." Alan scowled knowing what his Father was trying to say and both were reminded of the last rescue.

They had gotten the call two days ago that a rock fall had trapped some kids on a high ledge. How they'd gotten there was a mystery to IR but there was no time for questions. Alan and Gordon had been sent down on a harness to help them but the last kid had frozen. Alan couldn't reach him from his perch with the harness on but he couldn't just leave the boy there alone. Not when another rock fall was imminent and about to happen any second.

Alan knew that stunt he pulled had been risky and unpredictable and had put him in a dangerous situation but it was a calculated decision, one that had saved a life…but it seemed that Jeff just didn't see it that way. If Alan hadn't had taken his harness off and put the little boy in it when he did, the boy would have been crushed by the following rock fall, a situation Alan had been trained to deal with where as the boy would have panicked and died.

It turned out that it had all been a dare gone wrong and the kids got a fine talking to from the Police Officer that had taken them to their respective homes.

True Alan had little experience and it was only his fourth rescue but he had to act. Jeff hadn't been angry at Alan, he'd been worried sick and Alan knew that deep inside but the memories of the argument still made him cringe. They'd both said things they didn't mean and Alan had apologised in a back to front way before storming off to his room. **(A/N, it went summit like "Well I'm sorry for doing my job!") **

"F.A.B" the chorus brought both men out of their reveries and back to reality. Jeff took a moment to look each son in the eye and send them a personal silent message. It was a moment to treasure because every time that International Rescue responded to an urgent call, it was a severe possibility that his boys might not come back the same way they went out, if at all. And Jeff wanted each of them to know he was proud of them all, and that he loved them with every fibre of his being. But he paused longer on Alan, sending a stern but loving reprimand and forbidding any unnecessary stunts, he couldn't cope losing a son like that but Alan only rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Jeff sighed in defeat.

"Thunderbirds are go."

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The sound of powerful engines filled the cockpit and a sense of purpose and belonging hit him head on despite the tension in the air. A small smile grew on his lips and he saw his brother glance over at him with a proud eye before returning to the console before him. Lights flashed gently, showing the current processes and systems that were coming online. And he began flicking switches at his brother's command.

Thunderbird One gave a gentle jolt just before the inertial dampers kicked in; a programme that allowed its passengers to enjoy a smooth journey, and Alan felt the pride well up inside him. He'd been looking forward to being a Thunderbird ever since his father had set it up, but now that he was finally a part of it, it was all the more pleasing; not because his Father trusted him now, and not because he was finally what he wanted to be and doing the thing he wanted to do…but because he had earned his place here fair and square and that made him feel even better. And even though this was only his fifth rescue, it was his first without his Father chaperoning them. He still felt slightly green at it but he knew that his brothers would support him and guide him through even the toughest of rescues and that made him feel like he was finally part of the family; part of the team.

"HQ to Thunderbird One; come in please." His Fathers voice almost startled him but he remained focussed; ready to act on his brother's command, a rare event if ever it occurred. Scott reached over and flicked the communications screen on, accepting the video feed from Thunderbird Headquarters.

"Thunderbird One responding. Reading you loud and clear Dad." He replied. And Alan tensed, sensing the next few words that would release an adrenaline rush that could rival no other. He had done this five times already but still it awed him. The anticipation built inside him, slowly growing to a head as the silence seemed to take an age to churn away. His father smiled, knowing the phrase he was waiting for; his brother braced himself for the signal; the engines whined finally reaching their biting point.

'_Come on already!_' his mind all but yelled; his eyes fixated on his father's image. Waiting, bracing, inwardly screaming… And then it happened.

"Thunderbird One you are clear for lift off." Finally! His grin grew wider. His sense of purpose grew stronger, and his head whipped round to Scott's. His brother turned to him with a quick smile before taking his hand off the engine thruster levers. Alan didn't dare fathom what he thought that could mean.

"I think we've gone through this enough times already…would you care to do the honours?" he asked, trusting him with the controls to Thunderbird One. Alan stared at him in disbelief, mouth hanging wide. He looked down at the levers and the grin grew even wider.

"You betcha!"

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**(A/N; Short first chapter I know but the timing has to be right…and yes I just love cliff-hangers and long waits until I update…so sue me… XD)**


	3. A Warning

**The Spirit of the Slaves**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Thunderbirds but my Grandma's neighbour does…-cheers!- I get free merchandise! W00t!

**Summary:** When Alan Tracy is kidnapped by two drug bandits he finds himself in a bigger frying pan than he first thought. Arriving in an unknown place far from any other civilisation with no means of proving his identity, he must fight for his life or have his spirit broken by a man whose ethic morals rival those of a cold hearted killing machine…could you survive? (-Movie Take-)

**Warnings:** Drug abuse, Psychological references, and kidnapping…You are forewarned

**Ok things are beginning to pick up here, but I fear this chapter may be going too fast, if so let me know and I will rewrite it…hope you enjoy…**

**Oh one more thing! A huge Thanks goes to 'Kristina' who informed me of my huge translation mistake! Yes I used an online translator and yes I can only guess what it did to my writing, but thank you for your correction…truth is I have no one to ask to see if it's ok or right, so my only option is to trust an online translator…I wondered why I kept failing French…xP

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**Chapter Two; **A Warning…

"The incompetent fools!" The darkness flinched as a deep voice bellowed into the night. Small movements were heard as The Big Boss shifted his large bulk in his seat. His henchmen shied away thankful that they were not the cause of the boss's wrath. Without warning, a large widescreen plasma television lit up the room showing its viewers a news view scene of a fire raging within a warehouse and a blonde haired reporter standing in the foreground; the source of the boss's anger.

"_Ici__ Kelly McPhenderson en direct de Toulon __dans__ le __Sud__ de la France o un __entrept__ de __produits__chimiques__est__devenu__mystérieusement__ la __proie__ des __flammes__. Les __autorités__gardent__ tout le __monde__l'cart__ d la possible presence de gas __volatils__l'intrieur__mais__vous__pouvez__probablement__voir__ les __flammes__ derrière __moi__…"_

(For those of you who are not French literate this translates to: "_This is Kelly McPhenderson reporting to you live from Toulon in Southern France where a chemical storage warehouse has mysteriously gone up in flames. Police are keeping everybody as far away as possible due to the possibility of unstable chemical gasses that may be around the area but you can probably see the flames behind me…_" With special thanks to **Kristina** for translating.)

He slammed his fist down on the remote and only succeeded in turning on the mute function before the remote smashed beneath his hand. He turned his back to the offending screen and leaned on his large oak desk. "How am I supposed to run a successful drug business when my workers destroy everything I have worked so hard to attain!" he asked rhetorically, not that any one would dare answer back unless he bid them to. He sighed; "Well at least I don't have to worry about the two idiots anymore, no one could have survived that…explosion." He snarled at the last word as though it were a poisonous insect waiting to kill him. He turned to the screen again and watched as the unmistakable image of Thunderbird One appeared on the scene.

"Not even the Thunderbirds can save my precious merchandise…" he sighed woefully and dramatically. He suddenly paused, "How am I supposed to explain this to his Lordship? His whole order was in that building!" Another wave of anger swept through him as his henchmen looked at one another in fear. "I'll have to compensate his loss; two deals for the price of one!" he cursed the two fools who'd lost him his dirty goods as he began searching for his cell phone.

"This is the last thing I need…"

* * *

"Keep me informed son." Jeff's voice crackled as the video feed jumped on the screen. Tin-Tin and Fermat waved in the background. Gordon smiled and waved back.

"F.A.B Dad, Thunderbird Two out." He switched the vid screen off and sat back in Thunderbird Two's cockpit chair. They were racing across the open skies to where the call had been made but Thunderbird Two wasn't as fast as Thunderbird One and the few extra minutes added to their journey felt like an eternity.

But he wasn't itching to get to the crime scene like he usually was, he was feeling quite the opposite in fact; a sense of dread had filled him and he felt that something bad was going to happen on this rescue. What it was he didn't know but he had the desperate urge just to leave it all to the local authorities, and yet he couldn't do that; he couldn't call off the rescue on the account that something could go wrong… something went wrong on every rescue! It was his job to take that risk. He was a Thunderbird, he couldn't leave the poor souls trapped inside who'd called for their help.

Virgil sat in the pilot seat next to him unusually quiet; the usual proud grin on his face was gone and Gordon was convinced he saw him shiver. It seemed he wasn't the only one sensing the terrible danger awaiting them. He sighed and stared out of the window, glimpsing a bright sparkle but dismissing it as a light reflecting off of something. If today were to be his dying day, he'd go down spectacularly. He won't give Death an easy fight; he was ready to give his life for the safety of another…and with that he raced on toward the impending doom.

* * *

Alan and Scott touched down gently; Scott being in control this time seeing as Alan's landings had yet to be fine tuned. They could see the situation was bad from the skies but now that they were on the ground the feeling of panic and urgency hit them hard. Both boys quickly jumped out of their seats and pulled on their heat suits and helmets whilst checking that each other's were correctly fastened and sealed. Once finished they stepped out of Thunderbird One and were greeted by an almighty roar.

A small explosion rumbled through the ground as a new source of fuel was found and engulfed by the fire. Luckily it didn't bring the building down but the urgency of the situation forced both boys into action. Scott gave quick instructions to Alan before moving over to the Police Chief in command trying to find out the extent of the damage and victim situation. Alan obeyed without argument and moved quickly to the Fire Chief to find out what types of fire they were dealing with and how much help the Firefighters could be in keeping the flames down until help arrived. Being slightly French literate due to recent years of school lessons, Alan was able to understand and communicate with the Fire Chief with few problems and quickly came to an agreement. Once finished both boys met back up and reported their observations before drawing out a plan from the schematics Scott had 'borrowed'.

Then Thunderbird Two came into sight. By this time a crowd was visible on the horizon; a safe distance away from the Danger Zone but very audible in their cheers. As Thunderbird Two touched down, another small explosion rocked the area causing a small part of the roof to collapse. Virgil, as though sensing the urgency as Alan and Scott had, quickly set the huge green machine next to Thunderbird One and immediately began to unload The Firefly and The Mole with Gordon's help. Alan ran on ahead and Scott quickly took over the Danger Zone from the Commanding Police Chief.

"Ok, Virgil I need you to man the operation from outside, we'll need a lot of water on the rear of the building, that's where the shaft is that's trapped a victim under ground. Your target is to keep that wall standing." He said urgently into his microphone as he ran over to the big green machine. Virgil gave a brief nod,

"Aye, aye Cap'n." he replied sarcastically before taking off toward the Firefighters. Scott saw him run off in his peripheral vision then found Gordon and Alan waiting for him just outside Thunderbird Two where Gordon gave him a worried look. Something seemed to have irked his little brother but time was running out, he'd ask about it later.

"Gordon you and Alan use The Firefly to get inside through the front opening. Clear a pathway to the left side going through the middle of the building; the police suspect there is a victim located by the left wall but the middle supports are the strongest part of the building right now. If that left wall comes down the rear wall will follow and that is exactly what we don't want. You're target is to get to them and get them out of there, while dampening the fire from the inside if at all possible. But be careful, we don't know what chemicals are in there and if any of them go off it's a high possibility that you and the rest of us will be toast." He ordered giving swift commands and efficient explanations for his decisions. He'd long ago discovered his brother's tendencies to try and understand his decision making and had come close to disaster a few times because of it. But instead of fighting it and arguing for respect and obedience, he'd learned from it and acted accordingly, giving quick and brief explanations which could be elaborated on at a later date. As Field Commander he had to steer his siblings in the right direction and that meant adapting to their behaviourisms and habits.

"What about you?" Gordon asked as Alan moved over to the Firefly. Scott cursed himself; he'd almost forgotten to tell the others about his tasks thus putting himself in danger if his brother's couldn't account for his position. He gave Gordon a quick pat on the arm before replying.

"I'm going to use the Mole to get to the person trapped underground. Report if you have any troubles at all. Got it?" Gordon nodded quickly before taking off after Alan and jumping into the driver's seat seeing as Alan was a better shot than he. Scott felt a cold grip seize his heart as he watched his two youngest brothers' move into positions. Something felt wrong…something felt really wrong.

He shook his head before moving off to The Mole…but the uneasiness didn't leave.

* * *

Jack listened to the explosions above with frustration. It wasn't the first time he'd been caught in a burning building but he didn't like it then either. He knew there were risks of jumping into the underground duct but couldn't recall what they were, so he'd taken the risk.

And here he was sat in a four by four concrete box underground with a raging fire above him. He cringed; and possibly, a burnt body just outside the door.

He flinched remembering what had happened. He'd seen the box teetering on the edge, and acted on impulse more than anything. As soon as the box slipped, he'd instinctively jumped into action; he'd grabbed Ferris, dropped to the floor and rolled under the truck which had been covering the trapdoor that led to this underground prison. They'd escaped the worst of the explosion but it still marked each man in its own way. They waited for a while hoping to wait out the fire but Ferris had suddenly remembered that there was a large amount other explosive compounds stored away somewhere above them…

-Flash-back-

"The whole place is gonna blow! We have to get out!" Ferris had yelled and moved toward the hatch. Jack quickly jumped on him stopping him from opening the trap door; there was no way Jack was going back up there, not for a stupid science ingredient…

"We can't! We'll be fried! Leave it to the Firefighters and that lot!" He yelled back, but Ferris seemed to find a new strength inside him. He pushed Jack off and stood before him, a set expression on his face. Jack shuffled back nursing a large burn mark across his chest and left arm.

"Well you can stay here coward, but I'm not a killer and I'm not letting that compound explode!" And with that, Ferris did what Jack didn't think was possible. He opened the hatch and jumped out into a fiery inferno, intent on saving others from the hell they accidentally created.

-Flash-forward-

True, he wasn't a killer, but he there was nothing he could do…was there?

He sighed loudly and cursed the science freak under his breath before jumping up and going for the hatch…

"He'll be the death of me…"

* * *

Tin-Tin gasped suddenly. A sudden pain had shot through her chest but was quickly gone before it could fully register. The room faded around her, no light or sound filtered through the sudden darkness she had plunged into. She looked around quickly, afraid, confused, and fearful…until a calming breath of wind caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes and took slow, soothing breaths and somehow felt safe.

"Tin-Tin…" a distant voice was whispering in her ears, soft yet somehow familiar in a strange sense. She opened her eyes slowly and took a step backwards in surprise; there before her stood a young, strangely familiar woman clad only in white. Pale skin radiated with warmth, long golden locks of soft hair spilled over her shoulders in natural ringlets and two soft sparkling blue eyes peered into her own. All thoughts seem to evaporate from her mind as the ghostly woman smiled down at her.

Another rush of wind brushed against her face and she closed her eyes once more, feeling the bliss and love. But again the voice whispered, soft and fragile yet concerned, worried…a warning perhaps? The wind suddenly dropped in temperature and a sense of concern slowly crept into her mind.

"Tin-Tin…"

A sudden image of a burning building flashed before her lids. She gasped and quickly opened her eyes, but the image didn't disappear, instead it became more real; surrounding her in all directions…It was awful. The entire area was charred and burnt beyond help; the ruins were black and completely twisted beyond recognition. The night seemed alive with action; people were running around as though trying to save something of the wreckage before her. Muffled shouts managed to penetrate the eerie silence that had engulfed her and she heard snippets of conversations…

"We need an ambulance here now!"

"The beams pinned him pretty tight…"

"He's not gonna make it…"

But the shouts soon faded to the silence again. She looked around, edging forward to the building to try and find out who needed help. Goosebumps began to rise on her arms and neck as she stepped over several large pieces of debris and followed the rescue workers to the emergency victim. The floor beneath her felt warm and a few embers were still glowing from the fire that had consumed the building but she didn't take heed, her curiosity began to build as a sense of dread began to fill her mind. Slowly speeding up she followed the crowd of yellow jackets and stood just outside of the throng of rescuers. For a few seconds she was left watching their backs as they blocked her view of the scene but, for a heart stopping second, she had a clear view of the wreckage they were fussing over and dirty hand poking through a small gap in the twisted metal…she gasped; her heart stopped, her breath hitched and her blood ran cold.

Time seemed to stop and suddenly everyone was gone, the rescuers were nowhere in sight, and the night was still save for a few flames that feebly clung to life. But she didn't notice, she was left alone with the horrifying scene before her; a very familiar yet completely foreign vehicle with a lifeless hand hanging out of the small gap…

She fell to her knees in despair, tears running down her cheeks as she stared in a devastated silence…

"Tin-Tin…" The voice flew past her ears again, a comfort yet saddening whisper…

"Tin-Tin…" The volume rose to a soft voice, but she continued to ignore it and stare in horror at the wreckage.

"Tin-Tin!" her eyes snapped open with a start and she looked around in a panicky fever. Her focus was complete off and she could feel that her cheeks were wet…then Jeff Tracy's face slowly came into view. It took a few seconds for her to realise she was back on Tracy island and when she did, she collapsed in his arms; a distraught mess of tears and desperation…

Jeff took her carefully into his embrace and began rocking her back and forth, the way he had when one of his sons would fall apart over their mother's death when they were younger…for some reason the thought of his late wife lingered on his mind, as though there was something important about that train of thought-

"We have to help them…" Tin-Tin mumbled into his shirt before trying to escape his grasp and move away. He quickly let her go but kept a firm grip on her shoulders as she tried to go somewhere. "We have to go to them!" she all but yelled; fear evident in her voice.

"Go where?" he asked unsure about what had just happened…she turned to him with fright and worry in her eyes, she was still crying but she didn't seem to notice.

"To the rescue! They need us! They'll die!" she yelled as she shook herself free and backed up away from him. Jeff was completely lost, last he checked, his boys were doing fine, a little stressed and on high alert but no casualties and certainly no dead bodies. A sudden thought hit him hard and he fell back a step in shock and disbelief…

"W-who will die?" his throat was suddenly dry; a gut twisting dread knotted itself deep with in his stomach as she locked her eyes with his…

"We have to help them…" Her voice had dropped to a desperate, whispering plea. "Please…" Jeff stood there for a full second, taking in what had just happened before deciding to trust his instincts and get to the Danger Zone ASAP.

"Lets go…"


	4. A Brother's Need

**The Spirit of the Slaves**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Thunderbirds but my Grandma's neighbour does…-cheers!- I get free merchandise! W00t!

**Summary:** When Alan Tracy is kidnapped by two drug bandits he finds himself in a bigger frying pan than he first thought. Arriving in an unknown place far from any other civilisation with no identity and no escape he must fight for his life or lose his spirit forever… (-Movie Take-)

**Warnings:** Drug abuse, Psychological references, and kidnapping…You are forewarned

**Yes! Chapter Three is up and live! But am still working on the later chapters so may not update for a bit…besides, a gals gotta sleep at some point right? Anyways, enjoy…

* * *

**

**Chapter Three:** A Brother's Need…

Gordon carefully drove the machine towards the front entrance. He didn't really know why he was in the Firefly at all; he wasn't a very good shot like Alan nor could he drive very well, again Alan took the limelight there. His younger brother seemed to have a flare with anything that moved be it cars or moving targets. But Virgil was best suited for keeping the wall up and Scott was navigating a large powerful rock digging machine below him somewhere so that really only left him … So here he was; driving the Firefly toward a blazing inferno.

He couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen but without knowing what that was he was helpless to try and avoid it. He'd just have to be extra careful. Time was rapidly running away from them and he noticed this with a frown, so he quickly shifted into gear and manoeuvred the unique vehicle to the door of the building. He quickly put the brakes on and gave Alan the signal to check the area.

Alan sat at the controls of the hose and set the pressure to high, they were gonna need a lot of pressure on this one. He aimed the hose at the doors that were closed in front of them and adjusted the heat shields. He quickly scanned the vicinity to make sure it was clear; as soon as the doors were open the fire would leap out at them fuelling itself from the new supply of oxygen and neither wanted to see what would happen to a person if he got caught in that.

After securing the area, he gave the 'go ahead' to Gordon who, in response, handled the new extending arms that had been installed less than a week ago, using a camera feed to see where he was aiming. He inched the two mechanical arms closer to the door and braced himself for the heat wave that would breach the shields. Alan sat, watching as the mechanical arms pushed at the double doors in front of them. Four nudges later and the door began to break away, then Gordon gave a final nudge and it fell open.

Instantly, flames engulfed the vehicle and both Gordon and Alan flinched instinctively. Again the two youngest Tracy's were reminded of the sheer brilliance of the Thunderbird machines but still, primal fears were hard to quench. Gordon blew out a sigh and heard a mechanical whirr from within the machine as Alan powered up the hose. Strong spurts of a chemical fire extinguishing substance shot out of the large nozzle and immediately the flames died it its touch. He took the hint and powered the machine up before entering the blazing building.

The first thing that was immediately noticeable was the heat; it was like walking out of an icy air-conditioned plane and into a tropical summer island heat in the middle of the equator line on a hot sunny day, except maybe this was ten times hotter. Alan worked furiously to clear the area of flames so that Gordon could see where to navigate the machine but that was proving to be 'easier-said-than-done' with Gordon trying to grip the larger debris and moving it out of the way. Alan managed to dowse the flames to an extent where they could see into the building but the scene that met their eyes was shocking; a sight they wished they'd never see again.

Everything was either black and charred or red hot and turning to ashes as the flames engulfed the innards of the building sucking the life out of everything. If anyone survived this they were blessed by a powerful unknown deity 10 times over. The roar of the flames failed to hide the groaning of the failing integral structure and Gordon knew that they had to be quick. He took a deep breath and steeled himself before moving the Firefly forward carefully navigating through the debris, following a small digital blueprint of the inside with the help of a small compass and Alan's constant spray. It wasn't easy.

He hoped Scott and Virgil were having more luck than he and Alan…

* * *

…Scott cursed loudly; this was the third time The Mole had stopped for no reason and it was driving him mad. He didn't know why it kept doing that but he didn't have time to get out and have a look, besides he was at least 10ft underground with solid earth packed in all around him.

He restarted the engine again and prayed that the engine would start up with no problems and keep going until the rescue was over. The blades jolted before finally picking up speed and pushing forward slowly. Scott sighed but didn't dare cheer in case he jinxed it again. He reset the course onto the computer's guidance processor and then sat back and hailed his brothers over the communications system in their helmets.

"Virg, how's the wall doing?" he asked as he visually scanned the computer readouts in front of him. He could hear a slight rumbling in the background as Virgil answered and he suspected it to be the fire that was still out of control above him.

"Not good," Virgil's tinny voice replied. Scott felt his heartbeat speed up at the tone of his brother's voice. "It's bowing in the middle and leaning towards the inside of the warehouse. I'd estimate another 20 minutes before it's unpredictable. How are Alan and Gordon doing?" but Scott didn't get the chance to reply before Gordon himself interrupted.

"Hey, we are listening ya know." He said rather indignantly. A small snort and a stifled chuckled indicated that Alan and John were listening in too. Scott still felt strange when hearing his youngest brother's voice over the comm. systems whilst on a Rescue mission and he knew the others were also doing their best to remember he was there with them too.

"Sorry Gord. Report." He replied curtly, needing to know their status before assessing the situation further. Being field Commander meant he had to keep up to date with all activities and adapt to the things he couldn't prevent as well as trying to keep everyone safe and helping those who needed the help. But that was a little difficult when he wasn't on the scene but below it… so he had to rely on his brothers to give him full reports to help him see the bigger picture.

"We're not too good either," Gordon's voice replied. "We've got a lot of heavy debris inside here and the fire just keeps coming. We're running low on extinguisher too; we're down to half a tank already. This is a seriously hot one bro; we're burning up in here..." Scott wanted to scream in frustration, if those two didn't hurry up the wall would trap them inside and although the Firefly was a fire fighting heat proof machine, it could only take so much heat before succumbing to the fate of all metals in a hot inferno. But before he could think up any more commands Virgil's voice cut in.

"Hang in there Gords, the fire-fighters are bringing in a helicopter to drop some carbon dioxide on top of you, they just left the fire station, should be here in 15 minutes. You should be able to extinguish the fire from inside easily then. How are you doing Scott?" Scott didn't know what to think about that comment but something struck him as odd. He didn't like the idea of dropping anything on a structural-failing and burning building with people inside it but he put it to the back of his mind and replied.

"Not good. It seems lady luck has a vendetta against us." He said as he scanned his readings again checking the progress of his machine; it wasn't much. Gordon piped up with his usual humour that only he found funny.

"Could it be because of my famous stunt last year?" he heard Virgil snort and quickly chuckled himself. Trust Gordon to say a thing like that at a time like this. Mind you, he always seemed to lighten a dark mood with his silly jokes and happy charm…

"Which one? You've done many…" he replied smiling as he remembered a very embarrassing rescue Gordon had embarked on…one the entire family wouldn't let him live down.

"Could be the oil rig rescue…" and of coarse Virgil picked it up immediately, he could almost hear the smile in his brother's voice and laughed along with him. The oil rig rescue of the year before was a famous rescue with the world too, it had been caught on a news camera and the entire planet seemed to have jokes lined up against poor Gordon. Not that they knew that it was Gordon Tracy who had been the victim of a panicky teen and gotten punched in the face causing him to fall off balance and topple over the railings into the freezing waters below.

"Hey that wasn't my fault! The kid practically pushed me in!" Gordon quickly defended as Alan's snort of laughter echoed through the system. Scott smiled imagining the scene inside the Firefly right now; Gordon would be sending Alan an evil glare while Alan would be stifling his giggles but failing badly. "No I was thinking of the dam in Austria…" Gordon said with venom in his voice; he succeeded in changing the subject though.

"Ok yeah that one would warrant even my wrath, Dad was fuming…" This time it was John who piped up remembering how Gordon had defied all orders and jumped onto the dam without a harness or even a rope. The whole thing was about to blow but Gordon knew just the right spot to hit back in place and prevent a major 'splash-down' on the town that hadn't been fully evacuated. He'd saved hundreds of lives that day but by all technicalities he should be dead; 15 minutes solid underwater holding a metal pipe in a hole that was slowly giving way to the tonnes of water building up against it was not what the human body was designed to do. But then again Gordon always was more fish than human.

"Hey you can't say too much Johnny-boy…" Gordon replied hotly, reminding all of them that he was not the only one who had jumped head first into the wrath of Death and come out grinning like it was all part of the game. They'd all had their moments of heroics, Alan being a prime example a few weeks ago.

"Changing the subject…Scott, what's wrong your end?" John quickly averted, bringing the conversation back to its original subject. Scott smiled; trust John to bring everyone back to their senses when his own heroics were questioned.

"Well, the engines keep stalling; I don't know why they're doing it but its slow progress and a hindrance." He replied checking his speed and progress again. "I'm only moving at 30 percent speed here, any idea what's wrong?" he asked. But before his brothers could reply, the engines gave another shudder and cut out again. Scott lurched forward as the whole machine came to an abrupt standstill and cursed.

"Scott? What's wrong?" John's concerned voice asked through the com. systems. The others were silent, either concentrating on their own tasks or worried about distracting him from what he was doing in case it was important.

"The damned thing's just stalled again!" He cursed into the mic as he began to reboot the computer systems again hoping that the motor would start. This was wasting precious time that he could not afford.

"Just try going slower…" John's voice suggested through the ear piece. Scott almost lost what patience he had left and snapped back at his brother.

"John any slower and I shall be going backwards!" he immediately regretted what he'd said but was too wound up to do anything about it. This rescue seemed to have a bad air about it and everyone was wound up the wrong way. John knew he meant no harm and Scott knew he knew but still, that didn't stop the guilt from leaking into his mind.

"No I meant adjust the blade speeds, the soil and rock are tough in southern France, its probably putting a lot of high tension on the rotary motors inside the blades and heating them up to a point where the engines are shorting out. Check the blade motor temps; see how high the centigrade is." John's voice seemed to calm him down somewhat and he almost kicked himself for not thinking the same thing earlier. Hell it could've saved all this faffing around right now. He quickly scanned the various dials in front of him and found the right gage.

"Damn, they're at 75 degrees." He said while inwardly cursing himself. He heard John blow a low whistle before continuing with instructions that Scott already knew but was too stressed to remember correctly.

"Ok well adjust the blade motors to 50 percent and keep the digging speed at 30 percent, but don't do anything for another three minutes; give the engines a little time to cool down." Scott nodded and set the dials to said settings before preparing to wait for the engines to cool.

"Thanks John." He sighed as he sat back in his chair, noticing how quiet it had suddenly become.

"Anytime bro." Scott smiled and soon became aware that his other brothers were now continuing with their tasks and were keeping each other informed while Scott sorted out his slight problem. Quickly becoming bored he decided to interrupt the light banter.

"How's it going guys?" he asked grinning when he heard three startled gasps. There were times when he just loved being Field Commander. Virgil took the lime light, being older than the others.

"We're doing ok last I checked-" he started but stopped suddenly as a shout was heard from the background. "Said it too soon…hang on." Scott listened intently, wondering what could have gone wrong. He could hear Virgil running and began dreading the news he would receive. His muse was confirmed when he heard several shouts and Virgil swear.

"Shit!"

* * *

"Shit!" He'd ran around the building only to find the wall slowly inching inwards. Just then a loud crash resounded throughout the area; another explosion from inside. Virgil looked up again to find the wall taking a crash dive inside. He watched helplessly as the roof began following suit and half of the left wall collapsed in on itself.

"Oh god…" he couldn't form any words to his brother's shouts in his earpiece. He just stared at the wreckage that had torn down the entire rear end of the warehouse. He was shocked, the wall shouldn't have come down for another 15 minutes, and where was that helicopter he'd been promised?

"Virgil! What is going on!" Scott's frantic voice seemed to pull him out of his shock and he blinked before looking around to find some way fixing the damage that had been caused.

"The wall collapsed! The entire rear end is down! The left is following but not yet gone! We gotta move fast!" he yelled as he ran ignoring many shouts and moves to stop him. He heard the shock in the eldest Tracy's gasp and it spurred him to move faster.

"Oh god! Alan? Gordon? Report!" It was then that Virgil realised both his younger brothers had stopped communicating. His blood ran cold. There was no reply to Scott's requests and he felt a lump form in his throat. His heart sank and he tried not to think of what could've happened to them.

"Virgil, contact Dad, I'm adjusting my course to get to them." But Virgil wasn't having it. He turned and found himself in front of Thunderbird Two and an idea formulated in his mind.

"No Scott, I'll go in with the rescue vehicle, you get to that man trapped underground." He said as he ran into the hanger and set his eyes on the spare rescue vehicle that sat in its internal garage. A determined expression crossed his features and he moved quickly.

"Right, keep me informed, I'll contact Dad and let him know…"

He knew this rescue would go wrong somewhere…


	5. Help!

**The Spirit of the Slaves**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Thunderbirds but my Grandma's neighbour does…-cheers!- I get free merchandise! W00t!

**Summary:** When Alan Tracy is kidnapped by two drug bandits he finds himself in a bigger frying pan than he first thought. Arriving in an unknown place far from any other civilisation with no identity and no escape he must fight for his life or lose his spirit forever… (-Movie Take-)

**Warnings:** Drug abuse, Psychological references, and kidnapping…You are forewarned

**Chapter Four! Ok you guys are getting lucky…enjoy!

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**Chapter Four; **Help!

A dim light filtered through his eyelashes as a thundering roar ground into his ears deafening him to the maximum degree. Gordon groaned as he slowly aroused from his unconscious state, bringing with him his sense of feeling too. He winced; the heat was unbearable even through his heat suit; his hips and below were in agony and his head was literally peeling itself apart. He licked his lips and tasted a metallic tang; blood.

He slowly tested his body and came to the conclusion that moving wasn't a good idea, or a possibility right now. He seemed to be pinned by something and it hurt like hell but he wasn't in any position to try and wrestle himself free or move the object pinning him. He quickly looked around for a way out of this mess but quickly found himself gasping in shock.

"Alan…" his voice came out weak but he didn't care; he'd forgotten Alan was with him and by doing that, he'd let him down…

In the dim light he could just about see his kid brother laying in front of him, his helmet face plate smashed, a mighty looking gash on his forehead and a nauseating sheen of blood underneath him. Gordon almost panicked at the sight and tried to move but earlier situations hadn't changed and he found himself still stuck in place. It was then that he noticed the condition of The Firefly; the entire front was totalled and the dashboard that Alan was working from seemed to be resting on his little brother's chest.

But what scared him the most were the several electrical cables hanging mere inches away from his little brother's face, sparking and screeching; just waiting to let their pent up energy out on the young man beneath them.

"Alan!" he called hoping to wake his little brother, but the younger boy didn't even stir; he was out cold. Gordon felt his brotherly protectiveness kick in and he struggled again to get free but the wreckage that had him pinned would not release its grasp. In a huff he fell still, defeated. That was when he realised the comm. systems had gone eerily quiet.

"Scott, Virge this is Gordon, come in please." Silence met his request. "Someone answer me please." He tried again but still no one answered him. "Damn thing must be dead." He muttered. He didn't know how long he'd been out so he didn't know whether they'd been missing long enough to require rescuing or if they were already presumed dead. Either way he couldn't just lay there and wait, so again he began to struggle free…

* * *

Scott almost jumped when an unexpected voice spoke in his ear.

"Scott, Virge this is Gordon, come in please." His voice sounded tired and faint but Scott thanked every god he could think of. They were alive!

"Gordon! What happened!" he all but yelled into his mic but he was met with a pause before Gordon spoke again. Dread began to fill his gut…

"Someone answer me please." Confused, Scott frowned, fear rose up inside him and it took every once of will power to remain calm. Was his brother suddenly deaf?

"I am Gordon I'm right here…" Another silent pause before

"Damn thing must be dead…"

* * *

"Virgil! They're alive!" Virgil frowned as he battled with the spare Rescue Vehicle's controls. He knew there was a reason why he hated the damned thing!

"I know, I heard, but I think his ear piece must be busted. I tried calling Alan but there was no response. I'm pulling up to the building now." He replied still struggling with the beast of a machine that had decided to veer left.

"What took you so long?" Scott's voice asked; a worried tone evident. Virgil growled as the steering jumped slightly and he wrestled the control levers back to their original course; he knew the beast was bad but had it always been this bad?

"There is a reason why I hate this machine Scott, and right now I think it knows who's driving…" he ground out through his teeth. He heard Scott give a half-hearted chuckle but soon adjusted his concentration on the building that was now in front of him. "I'm here." He breathed; releasing the lungful of oxygen he'd been holding while trying to maintain control.

"What's your plan of action?" Scott asked. Virgil thought for a second, gathering his plans before reciting them back to Scott and probably John too if he was listening in.

"I'm going to follow their path and report back when I find them, not sure of the situation inside but will work when I find out more." He finished, expecting to hear two 'F.A.Bs' but instead a new voice caught him totally off guard.

"That's a negative son." His Father's.

"Dad, I can't just leave them in there! There's another civilian inside too!" he argued, trying to make his point. But it seemed his Father was in a stubborn mood.

"Don't argue with me Virgil; You Are Not Going In There!" his voice was stern and strict but Virgil's respect for him was rapidly disappearing. He was asking him to abandon his two youngest bothers in their time of desperate need.

He couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry Dad, but I'm not leaving them in there like this." He said determinedly, two shocked gasps from his other two brothers filled his ear-piece just before Jeff exploded. But Virgil ignored his father's out burst and began guiding the colossal machine into the warehouse.

"Hold on guys," He whispered, "I'm coming…"

* * *

Pain and awareness began to seep in through his unconscious state, ruthlessly causing him to wake up and face the damage that had hit him. Shuffling sounds to his left ceaselessly annoyed him, loud snapping crashes drummed into him, foul smells in the air attacked his nostrils relentlessly and a muted roar from all around gave his already pounding head even more to complain about.

After a few minutes of trying to fall back into the wonderful pain free land of unconsciousness, Alan gave up and slowly opened his eyes. Bright white lights seemed to dance before his gaze (**A/N; the electrical cables…)** and he stared at them confusedly for a second before the headache grew unbearable. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away before letting out a low groan.

"Alan?" he quickly opened his eyes again and attempted to focus on the suddenly dark scene before him and a huddled figure just out of his reach stared back. He took a breath but felt a strange compression on his chest, he tried to move but found his limbs restricted by an unknown force.

"No Alan, stay still." Gordon? That sounded like him but he still couldn't see much in this gloomy light. He turned back to his brother trying to find his eyes but failing. "You have the front of the dash on your chest and three electrical cables directly above your head." So that's what the lights were…he sighed, his thoughts were scrambled at best let alone after being hit and turned upside-down and then dragged round the bend a few times. Not that he knew if that happened or not but it certainly felt like it.

"Gordon?" he asked, his voice sounding much stronger than he'd expected it would. He tried to shuffle around and see what was free but his entire body seemed weighted down either by lethargy or a piece of debris.

"Yea bro, It's me. You ok over there?" 'Am I ok he asks…' he thought wryly, his sense of sarcasm returning quickly. He mentally shook his head at Gordon's sense of humour before replying.

"Just fine; feels like I've been sunbathing for three days with the most beautiful girls tending to my every whim." He joked back sarcastically, knowing he'd get a chuckle from his older brother. Sure enough Gordon let out a small howl of laughter at his witty comeback. "How's the sun over near you?" he asked testing his freedom again. He managed to move his legs and his right arm, and the dash on his chest moved slightly but his left was stuck under something he couldn't quite see.

"Hot. Very hot." He replied with a double meaning. Alan smiled and concentrated on his situation. His legs and right arm were free to move, but his left was stuck, the dashboard was balanced on his chest and if he moved his head up he'd be electrocuted severely. It could be worse…

"_Virgil, are you mad_!" The sudden voice caused him to jump and he yelped in surprise, wobbling the dash on his chest which shifted making it harder for him to breathe. Gordon started at his sudden cry and began asking questions immediately but Alan could only gasp as the dash slipped again and began to crush his already restricted lungs.

"Alan! What's wrong?" Alan wanted to reply but his chest just wouldn't have it. His breathing came in short sharp gasps as he fought for air against the dead weight on top of him.

"I'm…ok Gords …it just slipped…" he choked, tilting his head around to try and ease his breathing but as he did he felt something sharp dig into his cheek. Upon further inspection he found shards of pointy sharp objects all over his face and neck. Glass! His face plate must have smashed! That would explain how the horrid smell was leaking into his nostrils. The smell of burning chemicals and wooden materials…but before he could ponder on this some more, another voice penetrated his left ear.

"_Virgil if you go in there so help me god I'll-"_ in the haze that was quickly fogging his brain he managed to identify that voice; his father was here… boy, he and Gordon must have scared them witless to bring their father onto the scene.

"_You'll what! Condemn them to death! I'm not leaving them in there! You have no right to ask me to!" _Was Virgil talking back to their father! Impossible! He was just hearing things.

"_Virgil I know you're worried about them but I think Dad's right, we can't lose you too…" _His mind was becoming numb as he tried to get the tainted oxygen he needed but he still recognised that as Scott's voice…the firm authorative but calm tone he used when directing a rescue could never be forgotten by those who knew him like they did.

"_They're not dead! They're alive! I can hear them and so can you_!" They can hear us? Alan thought, then why haven't they hailed us?

"_Yes but they can't hear us! That means things are bad in there, we need back up! Just wait for Dad to come."_ Ah, that would be why…but wait, he could hear them…gah things were getting confusing…

"_If we wait any longer the left wall will fall too and the whole building will crush them!" _The wall was failing? Oh no. That only meant one thing…they'd be killed out right within seconds. Time seemed to catch up with him and the urgency of the situation woke him up from his foggy mind. He had to do something besides sitting here being crushed.

"Dad?" He coughed but his family continued their conversation ignoring him totally. He took a deep breath hoping to clear his lungs but all he inhaled was fumes and ash which caused him to cough even more…

"Al, what's wrong?" Gordon asked. Alan jumped slightly having forgotten that he was there. He took a breath;

"C'n hear 'em…" he tried to explain but his chest wasn't letting him. He could sense the confusion emanating from his older brother but he couldn't find the breath to explain.

"You're coughing." He stated, but to Alan it was a question that he really didn't feel like answering. He knew Gordon would panic and act irrationally which neither of them needed right now. "Alan? What's happening?" He just didn't give up...

"Cn't breathe…fumes strong... tired." He croaked before surrendering to the coughs that had his throat in their grips. His eyes fell shut but he was still conscious.

"What! No Alan don't you fall asleep on me! God I have to get out…stay with me Alan." Gordon began to struggle again trying to free himself but before Alan could tell him to stop, a gasp came from his earpiece.

"_Something's wrong in there. Gordon's going mad at Alan_."

"_I'm following their path now, can't see them yet…"_

"No…too dangerous…" he tried to warn them but he remembered too late that they can't hear him…but they can hear Gordon…he tried to tell Gordon but another fit of coughs hit him. The fumes were beginning to get thick now and his eyes were watering with the sting of the gasses filling up the firefly.

"Alan! Answer me Alan…" Gordon called shuffling about to try and reach him but still unable to move from his position. Voices began to fill his ears as the rest of his family began their worried banter and arguments while Gordon pressed him for his status…his mind was clouding over again…

"_Something's wrong with Alan…"_

"_I can hear them Scott,"_

"Alan answer me damnit!"

"_No, something's really wrong in there! Hurry Virgil, you have my go ahead, get them outta there."_

"_Scott what do you think you're doing?" _

"_Dad I don't know what's got you spooked but if we leave them in there like that they'll die. I made an authorative decision, one that may save their lives!" _

"_Or loose another one! You do not have the authority to do that!"_

"Alan!"

"_Yes I damned well do Dad I'm not letting them die! Now get going Virg, get them outta there!"_

"_FAB Scott."_

"ALAN! ANSWER ME!"

He coughed several times before finally finding what was left of his voice; "Can't breathe…" he wheezed, his chest heaving, his lungs striving for the oxygen that didn't exist. Tears were now streaming down toward his ears as he fought for air…but he was slowly suffocating in the obnoxious gasses.

"Hold on Alan…stay with me." He concentrated on his brother's voice sensing a plan in his tone but the pressing issue of no oxygen was becoming too much. He knew he'd pass out soon if help didn't arrive. Shuffling sounds from Gordon's direction caught his attention and he knew his brother was up to something, but his focus was rapidly deteriorating.

"Alan. I need you to catch something ok?" frowning he turned, slowly, to where Gordon was. What he saw was something he hadn't expected; Gordon had taken his helmet off, leaving the airflow pipe attached to his oxygen tank and was preparing to throw it over to Alan. "Ready?" he asked.

"Gord… no…-_cough-_…you –_cough_-" his strength was almost gone…

"No Alan don't argue with me, take it. We'll swap back when I need some air ok?" Gordon replied. Alan knew he was lying and wouldn't really take it back, so he knew he couldn't just take the helmet either. But Gordon was as stubborn as their father and wouldn't back down easily... "Alan?" he realised he was being quiet again; needlessly worrying his brother; giving him more ammo to win the fight over the helmet…maybe if he pretended to be asleep Gordon would put the helmet back on and save himself?

"Alan…" Ok yeah, he knew it was crazy but his mind was becoming misty again as more fumes wafted in through an unseen hole to his right. The smell was awful, like something had died and been festering for months in a hot humid climate…

"Alan?" Darkness crept into his vision as his eye lids slowly closed, his mind began to wander off and before he knew it, he wasn't pretending anymore.

* * *

Jeff slammed his fists on the dash in front of him mere minutes after Tin-Tin had left the cabin to do an internal check up and equipment check. He had usually taken pride in the fact that his son's were willing to die for one another, and was very proud of how they never left a man behind, be it family, stranger or otherwise.

But something had shaken him; an eerie feeling, a sixth sense. He didn't want Virgil in that building alone, not with Scott underground unable to help and Gordon and Alan being the reason for their worry. He wanted to be there; to go in himself, to be sure his sons were safe. But by doing that he was condemning two to death and the other three to a life filled with pain and guilt.

Hearing his two youngest sons trying to keep a light banter, trying to stay awake and alert like they'd been taught, was heart wrenching. Especially when neither could hear him…He didn't know what to do. He was angry that Virgil had defied him but he was hopeful that his disobedient son would find Alan and Gordon and bring them out to safety.

"What would you have me do Lucille?" he asked, "What do you want me to do?"

And just as he thought he was alone in the decision, a small but noticeable flash on the horizon before him alerted him to his late wife's presence. And in his mind he knew that there was a bigger picture to be seen, an ulterior motive for fate to intervene the way it had…and he knew that he had to just leave things be, and stay on course.

But that didn't mean he had to like it…

* * *

"Alan?" he paused. His heart froze. His throat closed up. His veins stood still. "Alan!" his voice came out in a horrified pitch as he gave up trying to free himself and instead reached out in desperate hopes of finding his little brother. His hands felt around in the darkness coming across several shards of glass and a lot of debris.

His mind was racing; Alan had stopped responding, it was slowly getting hotter, and there was no telling how long he had until the fumes did the same to him. He was in a no win situation and all he could do was lay there and wait for it to claim them both. Tears began tracing their way down the contours of his cheeks. He'd been willing to die for the innocent people who were trapped in here, but he hadn't been ready to die alongside another loved one with no way of helping them out of the mess.

His hand unexpectedly found his brother's limp wrist and he quickly traced his fingers down to the pulse point. He gave a light squeeze on the artery and waited a beat…

And another…

And yet another…

Until he realised the beat he was counting was actually a pulse pushing against his fingertips. Alan was alive.

"Oh Gods…" he let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and began chuckling with delight; Alan was alive…

But a sudden churning sound soon put a stop to his happiness as he listened carefully to the inferno outside. Something wasn't right. A low humming sound was slowly rising in pitch…like an old fashioned whistle kettle. Years of experience in fire rescues and the like soon told him what to expect…something was about to blow…

No sooner had he thought it, the entire place exploded. His weakened senses were overloaded by the sudden chaos that wrapped around him and his brother.

And he cried out in fear.

* * *

**_(A/N; Holds hands up defensively _**Don't give me all that '_but Gordon's an IR Rescuer! He doesn't get scared at things like that._' Lark … I would be a quivering wreck if I was in that situation! Would you!) 


	6. And Fate Intervenes ReWritten

**The Spirit of the Slaves**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Thunderbirds but my Grandma's neighbour does…-_cheers!_- I get free merchandise! W00t!

**Summary:** When Alan Tracy is kidnapped by two drug bandits he finds himself in a bigger frying pan than he first thought. Arriving in an unknown place far from any other civilisation with no identity and no escape he must fight for his life or lose his spirit forever… (-Movie Take-)

**Warnings:** Drug abuse, Psychological references, and kidnapping…You are forewarned

**A/N: Ok it took a while to remember how I had it before, (Yes I gathered you'd noticed ¬¬) but it should all be here nonetheless… I may have missed a few bits out but I can go back later; right now I need to retype Chapters Six and Seven and then continue on with Chapter Eight.

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**Chapter Five:** And Fate Intervenes…

The heat smashed into him first, like a solid wall of flames before the blast of air followed, rattling the Vehicle to its limits. Virgil rolled into a small ball as yet another explosion wracked the unstable building. Debris fell from above and almost hit him through the small hole in the Rescue Vehicle's roof. The fire seemed to find new life as the rush of oxygen fed their hungry cravings. But, due to his phenomenal sense of hearing that had been defined through years of musical talent, he was able to tune out the roar around him, ignore his father and remaining brothers calling to him through the radio mic and concentrate solely on a very familiar sound; a sound he'd heard before and never thought he'd be so glad to hear again…a smile graced his slightly charred features.

"Gordon…" he'd recognise that scream anywhere and where Gordon was Alan would be too.

He'd found them.

Now all he had to do was get to them…

* * *

Jeff was barely holding down his frantic panic. 

"Damnit Virgil, answer me!" several beats passed. And the worry rose to a dangerous level; almost to a point where he was about to go in after his sons, fire or not. His mind was numb as pictures flashed past his eyes; horrific scenes of burnt bodies, unable to recognise who they could have been…but for the IR uniforms. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to remain focussed. Trying to remain calm.

"Sorry Dad, but I think I found them." Instant relief ran through his veins, so much so that he felt suddenly weak at the knees.

They were alive. They were ALL alive.

"What took you so damned long to answer?!" he growled down the mic, knowing he was overreacting but not rightly caring at the moment. He paused as he heard Virgil take a breath; a few crashing sounds and curses echoed down the earpiece before Virgil's slightly out of breath voice spoke again.

"Sorry Dad; had to concentrate on a sound. Couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from at first so I had to turn the radio off." He said. A sound? What sound? Jeff's imagination was suddenly very active and had to struggle to keep it under control.

"What sound?" he asked, almost dreading the answer. The slight hesitation from Virgil was all he needed to know. He gulped down the large lump in his unusually dry throat as he waited for Virgil to answer.

"A… a scream. It was Gordon. I'd know that scream anywhere." Although shaken now, Jeff nodded; knowing what the implications could be. He was torn between; letting Virgil off the hook to rescue his youngest sons and; protecting him from having to see any possible disfigurement or dead bodies or possibly becoming a corpse himself. If he let him go, the Grim Reaper may take a 'three for two' deal on his son's lives but if he didn't…

"Go." He'd lose Alan and Gordon anyway… "Get them outta there Virge." He'd finally given Virgil the 'go ahead' he'd wanted to get the job done. Virgil gave a quick appreciative smile and a quick nod knowing how hard a decision it was for his father to make.

"F.A.B. Dad…"

* * *

The change in pitch of the motors woke Scott from his thoughtful trance, the engines seemed to be less strained than the usual grinding sound he'd become accustomed to. Curious, he looked up at the screens and to his delight, found that The Mole had finally broken through the horrid rocky earth of Southern France and had emerged into the small basement he'd been heading for. A smile graced his features; finally, some action! 

He quickly jumped up and began switching switches and pressing buttons; the motors stopped whirring, the blades slowed to a halt and the bright head lamps lit up the dark room out side. He quickly pulled on his helmet and prepared to greet a possibly terrified victim. He had to be ready for anything.

He stepped out.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me? This is International Rescue, I'm here to help you…" he looked around with the added help of his flashlight. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?" he called out, still peering in to the shadowed corners. "This is just great…" he trailed off, realising he was talking to thin air. There was no one in the basement. Anger quickly swept through him as he realised how much time had been wasted because of this pointless excursion and how much danger his two youngest brothers were in if the same were to happen upstairs.

"Virgil, any sign of any victims?" he asked hoping they'd found something, even a clue as to someone needing help. He heard Virgil gasp in surprise before answering.

"Dude, don't scare me like that." He paused processing the questions then said, "Um no, no sign of anyone, which is a little suspicious actually." Scott cursed and kicked out at a random yellow bucket by his foot as a string of obscenities left his mouth feeling sour. "How about you?" Scott stopped pacing and forced himself to calm down. He let out a weary sigh before replying.

"Nothing. I'm standing in the basement now and I'm the only one here. I'm starting to think this was all a set up or something." He turned as he spoke and was just about to get back in the Mole when something made him freeze; his eyes connected with a silver glint and fear paralysed his body.

"Wouldn't be the first time…I mean it felt weird even before we got here. But I figured we could just be paranoid considering the past few rescues. What do you think?" he could hear his brother rattling on but Scott's voice had disappeared. He wanted to shout, scream, panic and run away but all thought-to-body processors had stopped working. His body felt numb and his brain had stopped working. "Scott?" he wanted to warn him; warn everyone, but his voice remained silent; his body stubbornly frozen. Horrible scenes of Gordon and Alan lying in a pool of their own blood flashed across his mind, an image of Virgil sat in the Rescue Vehicle with a small wound in his chest, body lifeless… "Scott? You alright?" reality seemed to crash in to him and he jerked away from the offending weapon, only to trip on the affore mentioned bucket and fall on to his butt. He froze in place again as the weapon moved slightly because of his fall. "Scott, answer me." He took a deep breath and tried to calm down before attempting to speak…

"Virgil…" it was a rushed whisper; almost as though he'd been hit in the gut and found it hard to breathe. He couldn't form the words he wanted and it began to frustrate him. "Gun…" he managed to get the most important word out but the others remained stuck in his throat. He could only imagine the confusion Virgil was going through because of his lack of control over his vocal chords.

"What? You're not making any sense Scott. Is everything alright?" Virgil replied, worry evident in his tone. Scott tried once more, this time a little more successful.

"There's a gun…some one in warehouse…dangerous…" Virgil immediately latched on to what Scott was trying to say and paled visibly. This _was_ a set up; somewhere in this warehouse was a dangerous man; a possible killer. Instantly his thoughts jumped to Alan and Gordon but he forced himself to calm down. He couldn't panic, not now…he had to remain calm.

"Ok Scott I need you to listen to me… If the gun is in front of you then who ever owns it doesn't have it. The Police have this place surrounded so there's no way he can get out of here unnoticed. We'll keep an eye out for a possibly dangerous man. You get back in The Mole and head back to the surface. Dad'll meet you there." Scott seemed to calm down at that, realising that Virgil's words made sense. But even though the gun had no one to operate it, it was still a scary weapon he'd never faced before…

"Thanks Virg." he breathed, finally managing to lift himself and move back into The Mole.

"Anytime bro." Scott gave a relieved smile and fired the engines back up, moving quickly in order to put as much distance between himself and the gun as possible…

**(A/N: ok as you can probably tell I'm trying to keep this within natural human behaviour when faced with an unexpected danger that hadn't been accounted for. I.e.; Scott's ooc-ness when faced with a gun and the possibilities that could arise because of its presence in the building. I can tell you now, I wouldn't be able to function properly if I was in his position…would you? . . . btw Lisa; ooc-ness means 'Out Of Character'-ness -)

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Alan found himself once again waking up due to a noisy disturbance beside him. The disorientation subsided slightly quicker than before but he still found himself wondering if he was really conscious or if this was just another trick his scrambled brain was creating. And yet the painful aches and scrapes soon had him believing that he was in fact coming back to reality this time. That and the constant murmuring beside him….he let his attention cling to the voice of his brother, focussing on it, letting it guide him to full consciousness.

"…do without my favourite prank partner? You still owe me big time for that last prank with Scott's hair gel by the way. Remember our next target? John will never see it coming…" Gordon's voice sounded hoarse and well used but Alan held onto it. "I mean honestly, spiders in his boxer's drawer…real live spiders too not those silly rubber ones. But we'll have to be careful they don't escape. Maybe a few maggots will keep them in th-"

"Gordon? …" he tried. His voice was slightly stronger this time; his breath lighter. It was then that he realised the dash board was now off his chest and he seemed to be lying on his side facing his brother.

"Yeah Alan?" Gordon replied lost in his scheming thoughts and not quite realising his brother had woken up from his unconscious state.

"Shut up." Silence… Then;

"ALAN! YOU'RE AWAKE!" Alan smiled as he let his brother's voice ring, albeit a little painfully, through his ears. Gordon really was a tad slow. But his smile soon faded when Gordon didn't shut up; since when did his brother become so chatty anyway? He ignored his brother's ramblings and decided to test out his limits. He got further than last time and actually managed to sit up before his annoyance wore thin with Gordon's constant chatter. He gave a slight frown and held his head before turning to his brother,

"Gordon do you mind?" he asked quietly but loud enough for him to hear. Gordon craned his neck and looked at him before lowering his head and apologising, then explaining that he was just releasing some pent up tension or something. Alan sighed and took a few deep breaths before realising that the air was slightly stale smelling but cleaner than before. _Must've been a leak last time_…he thought to himself before trying to stand in the small control centre of the Firefly. The world retaliated harshly and wobbled precariously beneath his feet but the moment faded and he managed to stabilise himself.

"Can you move?" he asked turning slowly so as not to provoke the ground again.

"No. I've been trying to but I think I just made things worse by wriggling around." Alan nodded gently then quickly cast a visual scan around the wrecked Control Centre looking for something to help Gordon out with; like perhaps a crowbar or lever. His hopes fell and he almost cursed at the lack of anything even scarcely resembling a crowbar. He turned his eyes back to his brother and moved toward him in an attempt to try and move the debris with out the use of a crowbar but he knew it was a fatal attempt. Nothing budged.

"It's ok Alan; it's ok to die here." Alan froze. Shock paralysing him at the mere thought of it. Fear replaced that shock at just giving up so easily, and then anger swept through his veins at how casually his brother had said it. How dare he give up like this! He hasn't even tried to fight! He came to a decision and moved directly in front of Gordon's face. He met him with an even gaze and said in a firm but quiet voice;

" 'I would not, shall not and will never in my life leave a brother behind.' " It was a quote from an oath that both of them had made to one another while dabbling in their prank schemes and such. Gordon remembered it well and he felt a lump rise in his throat as he continued to listen to Alan, "and if I intend to live, so will you so stop this train of thought right now…" but Alan paused as a plan suddenly made itself known. Gordon looked into his eyes surprised at the sudden change in his brother, and spotted a glint of hope in his sparkling sky blue eyes: that could only mean one thing.

Alan quickly sorted through earlier memories of before the first explosion and he soon found himself grinning. He knew what to do. "Besides, it's not often that our roles are reversed like this; you dependant on me bailing you out of trouble, and me with the ideas…"

Gordon watched as Alan's eyes flashed, his own hope returning quickly. He knew that look; seen it several times when they'd had a close call on one of their pranks… "You have a plan." It wasn't a question. Alan could only nod in grinning confirmation as he straightened slowly so as to keep his peace with the floor that threatened to claim him again should he move too quickly. He quickly scanned the cockpit for anything he could use or might need for this slight detour while explaining what he was going to do.

"I'm gonna go find something to get you out of here with since our tools are out of order right now." He said picking up an axe with a large crack in the handle and tapping it lightly against the wall of the cockpit. The handle snapped in two, proving Alan's point. He knelt down in front of Gordon again, becoming head level with his brother while he spoke. "…I remember seeing a medical unit and a tool kit back towards the entrance we made. If I can get to that tool box I should be able to find a crowbar or something. If there isn't one I can bring it back and rig together a stable radio perhaps." He straightened again slowly but a wave of dizziness washed over him anyways. His wobble didn't go unnoticed.

"No Alan, it's too dangerous. You're in no condition to navigate out there; you'll get lost and die. You know the protocols-" he started but Alan cut him off angrily.

"And so do you! You know we should never give up but you were all for that a few minutes ago! Why is my idea more ludicrous than yours? At least I'll be doing something instead of waiting for death to claim me! I won't just sit around doing nothing like last time!" He was, of course, referring to the last rescue he'd been on. It had affected him more than he let on; being trapped in a small cave, running out of air, slowly feeling his life slip away with each breath, waiting for his brothers to dig him out. He was an active person, energetic in every sense of the word; sitting back and waiting to die just wasn't how he planned to go down. If there was something he could be doing, he'd rather do it than sit back and hold tight relying on prayers to keep him thinking positive thoughts of hope. He stood turning his back on his brother but remained silent.

"I…I didn't know-"

"You didn't know because I didn't show it. Because I wanted to be strong, to prove I could be a Thunderbird." He could feel the tears creeping into his voice but he held them back. "But truthfully, I was scared. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move but I could feel my life falling away…do you know how it feels to slowly die?" Silence. A brief pause.

"I'm sorry Alan. But even so, you can't go out there, what if the others are headed this way? What if you miss them?" Alan turned to him obviously trying to out think his brother with arguments of his own.

"Then when I return you won't be here. And I'll find my own way out. Look, don't worry about me, I can move and dodge what ever this damned building has to throw at me you on the other had are a sitting duck. If the others come then fine you're free and ready for the next rescue, but if not then when I come back you'll be free…it's a win-win situation." He said then smiled a forced smile. "Besides, I'd like to see you try and stop me."

"Alan…" Gordon growled getting angry at the old Alan stubbornness. "It's too dangerous!"

"And being stuck here isn't?! What happens to us if another explosion occurs?! We're both dead! It's no less dangerous in here than it is out there! At least out there we have a better chance for survival!" Gordon slumped; the argument was won and he wasn't the victor. At least that's how it was in Alan's mind he guessed.

"Ok fine go, but take my helmet, your's is going to do no good like that." Alan looked down at his slightly less than useful helmet before offering a sheepish grin and crouching down in search of the rogue helmet that had rolled away the last time he woke up. He found it underneath a metal sheet by the door and quickly fitted it to his suit before reaching for the handle again.

"I'll be back before you can say Bob's your uncle." He said with a grin, trying to lighten the situation with his childish humour but Gordon saw right through it. He knew Alan was scared…

"Be careful…" Alan paused, feeling for some reason that this could be the last time for a long time that he'd see his brother. He turned to him and locked his cobalt eyes with Gordon's. A silent message passed between the two siblings and they both understood the love in the message and that this could be the end. Then Alan gave an empty grin and opened the door.

"Don't go anywhere…" he chuckled and stepped out into the inferno outside, closing the door behind him with a hard, loud bang!

And Gordon cringed; that was most definitely the worst joke he could have come up with in this situation…

"You idiot Alan…"

* * *

Two hours or so later, Virgil found himself wondering how much longer it would take to find his brothers; they couldn't have gotten far. Mind you they did have a fairly clean path to drive through and they were also in the Firefly which was built for these types of rescues, unlike the spare rescue vehicle which was still arguing profusely with Virgil's commands. He honestly didn't know how he'd come this far. 

"How are you doing Virgil?" For the second time in the same hour he jumped in his seat at the unexpected voice in his ear and briefly wondered if this was some kind of joke his family was playing on him. Or was it that he was just extremely jumpy right now?

"I'm almost on them, John. Got another two minutes I reckon before I reach them." He replied after calming himself down. It was then that he realised John had been rather quiet since the explosion that had lost their communication contact with the two youngest Tracy's. "You ok?" he asked, sensing that the unshakable calm barrier of John Tracy, was about to fall to pieces like an eggshell falling onto a tiled floor.

"I'm tired, worried and frustrated at not being on scene, Virge. Sometimes I just feel so useless up here…" Virgil nodded, knowing how hard this must be for John. The exact same feelings, save for the 'frustration at not being on scene', had spurred him to defy his fathers orders and go looking for Alan and Gordon. And he only acted on those feelings because he was in a position where he could. If John or Scott were in his position they'd have done the same thing. Only now, because he was the one who took action, they were forced to stay back and play the never ending waiting game.

He didn't envy them.

"I know Johnny, I know. I'm worried too." He condoled knowing that John needed an understanding friend. "I just hope they're ok." This time it was John's turn to reassure the rescuing brother.

"They will be." He said with casual conviction, "They're Tracy's." Virgil nodded as though that alone was good enough reason to believe his brothers words.

"True enough." He chuckled, and then sighed, "Virgil out." he clicked off the connection and continued forward, or what was relatively forward in the beast of a machine, hoping he wasn't too late. The silence of the radio wrapped around him, enveloping him in its eerie embrace. And yet the silence was also an expectant accusation; if he failed, the blame would be on him. It'd be his fault and that was something he couldn't live with; being the cause of a brother's demise…it brought tears to his eyes just thinking about it.

But as the old NASA saying went 'Failure was not an option'…not one he'd choose willingly at any rate.

"Dad?" and yet he still needed the reassurance…

"You're doing great Virgil." He smiled in relief at the assuring tone. "Don't give up hope yet. If they're still fighting, then so are we." It was then that he realised his father had been waiting for the question. Knowing he'd need the support to carry on and keep hoping, to keep believing that everything would be ok. "And I'm sorry about earlier Virge. It's just that Tin-Tin had a 'strong feeling' that something might go horribly wrong and my nerves took over instantly; this whole rescue seems to have put everyone in a tense mood and I acted on impulse and not facts. Do what you can son and get them outta there."

"Thanks Dad. Virgil out." He smiled again, and for a while his hopes soared; his father's words blanketing his fears with a childish law that a parent is never wrong. He continued with renewed vigour, around a large piece of debris, to where his two brothers were last located. All apprehension and doubt put to the back of his mind as he neared the location his brothers were supposed to have been. A form of inner excitement began to build as he visualised Alan and Gordon sat inside the cockpit scheming pranks against the rest of them and laughing before asking what took him so long. And he rounded the corner with an eager look upon his face…

And gasped.

Instead of seeing the Firefly, his eyes came to rest on a crushed, almost pancake flat, wreckage that was barely recognisable. Virgil froze in horror. The flames buzzed loudly outside, the static in his earpiece bristled with intensity and Gordon's scream echoed again through his mind.

No one could have survived that…it wasn't possible.

In a state of panic Virgil leapt from his seat, denying loudly the fates of his two brothers as he adjusted his helmet before opening the cockpit door. He flew down the several steps that took him to the floor and leapt over several fallen beams before crawling up over a fallen concrete column and over to the door of the Firefly and pulled…

It wouldn't budge. He tugged harder but still the door remained stuck. He glanced down looking for any obstacles and saw the large piece of concrete propped up against the bottom of the door. He quickly bent down to remove it, breathing heavily as the large stone retaliated. It soon gave in to Virgil's perseverance and he let it roll aside where it crashed into what could have been a toilet cistern or a bathroom sink depending on what angle you looked at it. With the concrete stone gone, the door swung open loosely to reveal a dark murky gloom inside. He recoiled slightly, a little nervous of what he'd find, before entering the dark interior of the crushed Firefly in search of his two wayward brothers.

As he crossed the threshold, the roar quietened to a dull whisper and the darkness swallowed his vision for a few minutes. He stood by the open door, ignoring the sharp questioning yells of his family, and waited for his eyes to adjust to the gloomy interior. Slowly objects came in to focus; he could make out the dashboard in the far corner, the seat where Alan would have been sat in by his foot, a rogue smashed helmet and-

"Shit!" Gordon.

He spotted his younger brother's unconscious form half sticking out of some twisted metal and large concrete rocks that had somehow, by the looks of it, tore open a hole in the side of the Firefly. He was wedged in there tightly with the debris filling the rest of the hole, trapping his little brother solid. Virgil was by his side instantly, checking for signs of life as his family's shrieks of worry mingled into one another…

"Virgil, what's going on?" Pulse was weak…

"What happened?" Breathing was shallow…

"Answer me Virgil!" Pupils slightly dilated…

"Al'n…?" That last voice caught him. And the others died away like the background noises in the movies…

"Gordon? Can you hear me?" he quickly leaned down closer to his younger brother's face, hoping to catch whatever it was he had to say.

"m'sry, couldn mke 'er stble…" Virgil frowned; he must be delirious. He continued checking his little brother before a sudden thought made him look up sharply; where was Alan? He looked around quickly but he couldn't find him in the cockpit. Desperately, he turned back to Gordon for answers but his younger brother was in no stable state that could help him.

Finally he contacted his Father;

"Dad come in, it's Virgil; I found Gordon." Almost instantly he heard a collective sigh of relief from all those not in peril and he realised they'd quietened to give him a chance to focus and do his job, pushing aside their selfish need for information.

"Good work son, now bring them out here." Gordon moaned something about crows but Virgil ignored him, focussing hard on working out how to free him. Then his father's statement registered and he stopped what he was doing in confusion before realising how he must have sounded; his father thought he'd found them both.

"No Dad Alan's still in here…and the buildings gonna blow!" he tried to explain unaware that it still sounded like he'd found both Alan and Gordon together.

"That is exactly why you must get out!" Virgil growled in frustration, realising again how he sounded. He went to reply but a harsh intake of air from his brother had his attention diverted quickly. Gordon was having trouble breathing. Virgil winced before holding an oxygen mask over Gordon's mouth and nose effectively silencing him for now.

"Dad, listen to me." Virgil tried one more time, "Alan's not here. I can't find him. He's still in the warehouse somewhere." He could feel the chill tracing its icy fingertips down his father's back for he felt them too; there was a killer somewhere in the warehouse and Alan was not where he should have been.

"Ok Virgil, stabilise Gordon and get him out of there, grab Alan if you find him on your way out, he's probably headed for an exit for help. He's obviously able to walk around so leave a message for him just in case he goes back to where you are; he's a smart kid, he'll be ok but for now concentrate on Gordon. What's his status?" Virgil did another visual scan to remind him of what injuries he'd discovered upon his little brother before reporting them back to his Father.

"I see, get some Saline _(**for definition see below**)_ into him pronto, the heat can't be doing him much good. And be careful when digging him out, we don't want a repeat of the hydrofoil incident. Once was bad enough." Jeff reiterated, Virgil nodded, but still the worry ran haywire; Alan didn't know there was a criminal in the building, possibly a killer. What if he found him and thought he was a victim? What if he tried to help him and was… He quickly pushed the thoughts aside and stood to find his pickaxe and crowbar but Gordon tugged on his arm before he straightened. Brown hazy eyes met bright blue ones and Virgil was paralysed.

"Alan…?" he knew the question, but had no answer, not one he liked at any rate. Virgil took his hand in his grip and shook his head.

"I don't know, he's not here." He replied moving again to find his rescue tools but Gordon's grip tightened. His eyes were unusually bright in the dim light but it was the pleading look within them that had Virgil's heart missing every other beat.

"Still nt bck…?" Virgil shook his head solemnly. Gordon's eyes dimmed; the disappointment severely evident. Virgil patted his shoulder reassuringly, unable to cope with seeing him lose his faith so suddenly.

"Keep believing, Gords; he's a fighter, he'll be ok." he said giving his brother's shoulder a light squeeze before straightening up and moving with quick steps to the spare rescue vehicle for his pickaxe; all the while trying to convince himself too.

( **'Saline solutions are commonly used in medicine as fluid replacements to treat or prevent dehydration.' _Source; http / www . medterms . com / script / main / art . asp ? articlekey (_**_equals sign**) 16206**_ )

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A/N: Well there you have it! Again, I am _really_ sorry it took so long but I had to re-plan, re-type and re-retype because I realised I got some bits wrong. Ch6 is being re-started after this is posted so hopefully I shouldn't take as long to update. Sorry again! 


	7. Guidance of Another Kind

**The Spirit of the Slaves**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Thunderbirds but my Grandma's neighbour does…-_cheers!_- I get free merchandise! W00t!

**Summary:** When Alan Tracy is kidnapped by two drug bandits he finds himself in a bigger frying pan than he first thought. Arriving in an unknown place far from any other civilisation with no identity and no escape he must fight for his life or lose his spirit forever… (-Movie Take-)

**Warnings:** Drug abuse, Psychological references, and kidnapping…You are forewarned

**A/N: **Words cannot describe the horror I feel toward myself for leaving it so late to update this fic. I have had other appointments to keep and other fic's to work on, one series taking particular priority due to a friend's inevitable move, but it's no excuse. I hope I'm not hated after all this but I do have a life outside of fan-fiction and it is hard to keep the rhythm going when so much drama is going on… damn my exciting life!

Anyways, I hope this is enough to satiate your appetites for now… just remember; if you kill the authoress the story won't get finished. So depending on the end of the story and how satisfying it is for you, you can decide then if you still feel I need a well deserved thrashing…

(_Realises what I've just said…)_ Damn my big mouth

* * *

**Chapter Six:** Guidance of Another Kind… 

Alan swore.

He couldn't see where he was going, couldn't calculate where he was or which direction he'd come from. If the Virtual monitors that had been built into every International Rescuer's helmet for just this scenario had been working, he wouldn't have this problem but just like every other form of communication or orientation, it had betrayed him; refusing to work under any circumstances due to the damage the equipment had incurred.

He swore again; the heat was unbearable even through his heatproof suit. The flames kept blinding him when he decided which way to run and he'd lose his place again when he found himself in another unfamiliar clearing. This wasn't helping, he realised; this was just hindering the inevitable; was this really the end?

_Crack!_

The sudden shrieking noise startled him and he looked up instinctively. He swore once more, wondering aimlessly if he'd somehow developed Tourrets Syndrome, and watched in disbelief as a large concrete beam began to crack and crumble above him; unable to hold the failing structure of the vast roof of the warehouse. Smaller flames took his distracted attention as an opportunity to try and consume him and they leapt quickly licking at his boots but he jumped aside, away from their sharp probing fingers that were searing up his trousers. Another smaller piece of debris took a turn and fell away from its foundations trying to crush him but he saw it and rolled away landing mere millimetres from death.

Then, as he was just starting to calm his erratic heartbeat, a loud thunderous crack resounded through his entire body and he froze; another long moaning groan reached his ears, even through the helmet, and he struggled against instinct to look up. The concrete beam slipped from its holdings and his heart jumped. It slipped again with another cry and time seemed to slow. He stared transfixed and paralysed as the beam slowly inched its way to freedom, getting closer and closer to fulfilling its goal…

Then it happened. Its holdings gave in and the groaning turned into a loud shriek as it fell down through the hot smoky air, down to where Alan stood, paralysed in fear…

'_No!'_

The sudden thought in his head, which sounded oddly like TinTin, brought him back to reality and he jumped into action; quickly dodging the falling beam and rolling into another clearing. After a few seconds he looked up from his crouched position and found again that he didn't know which way he'd just rolled from; the flames had hidden his view of the destruction that had almost been the end of him. He looked up but the smoke was getting thicker, he could hardly see the rafters, or what was left of them, high above his head. He let his gaze drop back to his own level and tried desperately to navigate his way to an exit, any exit, in order to find out where he'd gone wrong and correct himself. But he found that he must be somewhere in the middle of the warehouse for there were no walls that he could see anywhere…just dancing flames that kept jumping at him, reaching for him. Had he not the sense to refrain, he would have sank to his knees in despair;

He was lost: and most of all, he was scared…

* * *

Jeff was wringing his hands as though trying to pull them off his arms; _"Dad, listen to me! Alan's not here. I can't find him. He's still in the warehouse somewhere."_ He was scared, really scared. Instinctively, he somehow knew that whatever went wrong with this rescue, his youngest son would be in the centre of it, literally and figuratively. He'd come to expect that, learned to predict what could happen and try to prepare sufficiently for those situations. Except for this one rescue; he thought he'd be able to trust Alan on this one, hoping that the stunt he pulled last time was enough to scare him into following protocols, to do as he was told. 

This rescue was a disaster to begin with…

* * *

It wasn't surprising that the journey back to ground level was quicker than the journey downward, but then the hole had already been dug and he wasn't forcing the machine through heavy duty soils at top speeds like he had when going down. The surprising – and slightly worrying – thing though was the scene he was greeted with; Firemen, Rescue Workers, Paramedics and even a few civilians were all darting around the place like mad lunatics, trying to get separate jobs done at the same time. It was like an organised chaos, but Scott didn't know why. 

"John I'm on the ground but it's like World War III down here, what's going on?" He shut the Mole down quickly but correctly and jumped from the hatch all in the space of three minutes. He was immediately greeted by a frantic looking but slightly more composed French Fireman as he made his way to the rear of the warehouse.

"See for yourself Scott." John said tiredly, sounding a little tinny through the communications link. Perplexed, Scott rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks, struggling to take in the sight before him; hundreds of people were pulling on several ropes that were attached to the left wall which, in turn was trying relentlessly to fall inward. It was a mind numbing sight that literally stopped all thoughts. All these people; pulling, squirming and squelching in the water soaked mud just to keep that one vital wall upright in order to save those who were inside. Everyone was pulling together; strangers joining hands, enemies joining forces, friends and family alike pulling and heaving on those slippery muddy ropes. This is what the human being is capable of…

Several precious seconds passed before John came back online; "It's a tug of war scenario down there; too little pressure and the wall collapses dragging the tugees with it, too much pressure and the wall topples this way crushing everyone pulling." He explained. Scott was torn between being irritatingly irate and downright dumbfounded.

"Why did they all put themselves in a lose-lose situation like this?!" He almost roared into his mic, he didn't mean any ill-will by it, he was just slightly overwhelmed. If John was affected he didn't show it.

"It's not a complete lose-lose situation. If they let go of the rope at the exact same time, they'll fall backwards but the wall falls inside. Basic physics. At the moment it's a temporary thing, they're trying to secure the ropes to a sturdy but mobile fixture to keep the wall in place but also to adjust for any new developments like another explosion. These people understand that it is absolutely imperative to keep that left wall up right while International Rescue are inside. Ingenious really." Scott was impressed, and somewhat humbled by so many willing volunteers helping out. Well, he wasn't one to disappoint.

"Ok, John I'm gonna need you to translate for me. I'm gonna use the Mole as the mobile fixture they want, I'll drill it half way into the earth which ought to keep it sturdy but movable. I'm gonna need more Fire Engines to keep the outside walls cool, and more water to pump into the building. If we can flood the floors the fire will have no where to go but up, it may be a danger to the upper structures but the mole will be doing its job well enough to warrant the decision. This way the people on the ground won't turn to charcoal. I'm also thinking that with part of the roof down now, the smoke should also clear out inside, clearing the views to the exits too. Alan and Virgil will be able to get out quicker and safely."

"FAB Scott, translating and relaying plans to the chief Rescue Worker now."

"FAB John, and hurry; we don't have much time; there's only so much that wall can take."

* * *

He was going round in circles, he was sure of it now. It had to have been the third time he'd seen that wretched sink! The fire had completely disorientated him, he had no sense of direction, no sense of time, and no idea how long he'd been looking for an exit. And to top it all off he was getting thirsty. If he wasn't so determined to get out or if Gordon wasn't depending on him he may have already given up, but just the thought of his older brother still trapped inside the totalled Firefly was enough to keep him going. 

_Creeak…_ oh no. He looked around rapidly, searching for the source of the creaking. He couldn't see it, he didn't know what was about to fall or where it was coming from. He tensed knowing that right now he needed to stay focussed, be ready to jump at a seconds notice.

_Crack…_ There! A low and crumbled inner wall began racing its way down to the spot where Alan was stood. He timed it just right and jumped up only to fall straight in the path of a loose, swinging rafter. The steel beam hit him square in the chest and sent him hurtling through the smoke to another part of the warehouse. He landed on a tumbled rack and laid there for a few seconds trying to reconnect his mind to his body.

"What was that?" A voice spoke. It was muffled and distant, probably just his imagination. He tried to open his eyes to look around but that proved a little difficult. A small flush of frustration swept through him at that; if he stayed here he was dead… and so was Gordon.

"What was what?" He paused…was he still imagining things? Curious, he pushed himself up onto his elbows but just as he managed to sit himself up a loud crash sounded deafeningly close to him and a sharp tight pain gripped him across his chest. He cried out in surprise and doubled over instinctively but this only caused the racking frame he'd landed on to wobble and topple over sending him sprawling to the floor in a heap of agony. The tunnels around his vision merged together, blinding him completely and before he knew it, he was out like a light… again.

* * *

"Virgil how's it going?" Virgil took a moment to lay his brother comfortably on the back seat of the SRV before replying. He had to work fast or the warehouse would engulf them completely. 

"Gordon's responding well physically but I think he inhaled a few noxious gasses." He paused to wrap a heat protective blanket around the unconscious man and adjust the oxygen mask around his nose. "Still no sign of Alan though." He climbed into the driver's seat and began reversing the reluctant machine back down the path he'd already cleared. "Scott how much time can you give me?" he asked using the open channels so that all his family could hear the conversation (with the exception of the defective headset in Gordon's helmet).

"Not long, the wall is bowing dangerously. We're constantly pouring cold water on it but it's not gonna hold for long. I'd say fifteen, maybe twenty minutes maximum." Scott replied, confirming Virgil's suspicions. He quickly addressed his father while attempting to move the resisting vehicle in the right direction.

"Dad, I won't have enough time to bring Gordon out and come back for Alan, if I'm gonna look for him I'll have to do it now." He replied grimly, knowing the answer before he'd suggested his plans. He was expecting a harsh response of the negative variety but it seemed that today was just full of surprises.

"Agreed, find him quickly if you can, if not head out. Scott, warn him when it gets too dangerous." Virgil didn't hesitate. He'd been given the go ahead and he was running out of time to find his youngest wayward brother. He'd be damned if he didn't find him before this all ended.

"FAB dad. Virge, I'd use all the speed you can, the wall's moved four times since I last reported." Virgil swore under his breath and fixed his eyes determinedly ahead.

"FAB Scott. I'm trying." He struggled again as the vehicle bumped away from a piece of debris in his path; the controls veering slightly out of his hands. He caught them again and reset the course with more vigour than was necessary.

"He'll be fine Virge." Scott tried, but his voice betrayed his real thoughts. Virgil kept his eyes peeled, looking for the tell tale sign of Alan's uniformed figure in the orange haze before replying harshly to his brother.

"Gordon was seriously injured and delirious Scott, and he was _inside_ the Firefly…" Silence fell upon the radio as each brother took in the implied message that Alan could be fast on his way to becoming a lump of carbon. "I'll find him…" He added quietly, more to himself than the others.

* * *

He coughed viciously; his throat was on fire (Pun notwithstanding). He rolled over onto his side before continuing to cough and splutter his lungs out. It took a few minutes to register that his helmet had been removed and that he was lying on a very cold floor in a very cold place. That didn't make sense to his fuzzled brain; wasn't he just in a fire? Why was it cold? He cracked open his eyes slightly before instantly squeezing them shut again at the bright lights that scorched his retinas. He gave a small whimper at the pain shooting through his head before trying again only this time a little more carefully. He would have thought being knocked out three times within a few hours would have made waking up easier but he was wrong. 

Stacks of vials soon blurred into focus, each containing a different coloured liquid. A muffled crash and the hushed whooshing sound of flames that came from somewhere behind told him he was still in the warehouse but he was at a loss as to where. His brain fumbled for an answer while his hands shakily reached beneath him and pushed him up to a sitting position. He glanced around, squinting in the stark lighting. It looked like a laboratory of some kind but were laboratories always so cold?

Another explosion sounded and the lights dimmed a little before powering up again. It was at that moment, he realised, that an almost silent whirring noise was humming in the background, almost like a machine on standby. It was a noise he was familiar with but he couldn't think of where from. Pushing the frustrating thoughts aside he began to think of how he got to wherever it was he that he was standing. He couldn't have moved by himself so that meant someone had to have helped him. But who? Then he remembered the reason he and Gordon had entered the warehouse to begin with; the scientists!

"Hello?" He called out meekly as he stumbled to his feet. He was surprised at how weak his voice sounded to his own ears. The world spun around him and he grabbed hold of the nearest racking to keep himself upright. His head was pounding and he was sure he was shaking with the effort of staying conscious. Then it passed and he felt somewhat human. "Hello?" He called again still no louder than before. His hand slipped down the supporting pole and knocked a few glass vials over on the shelf as he stumbled to stay on his feet. He was sure now that something was wrong, his body felt drunk and his mind was on the verge of shutting down completely. Sleepily his eyes found the labels on the vials of liquid and he automatically read it. His eyes widened a little in surprise before the enormity of the situation occurred to him. These vials contained an explosive solution, highly combustible in any temperature over 10 degrees centigrade. He realised now that he was inside a refrigerator which explained the low humming sound and why it was so cold but it wasn't safe here. If the structure of the refrigerator became unstable the entire town would be vaporised.

"I'm telling you, its fine. There's no other way to get it all out. We'll never escape the explosion if we make a run for it now." That sounded like one of the voices he'd heard before and they were speaking English too. That would make things easier for him; he didn't know that much French.

"Which is why we should have made a run for it when it first happened! We'd be long gone by now!" A second voice piped up.

"Nobody said you had to stay, but we're here now so deal with it! Pick up that cage over there, that's got to come with us. And for heaven's sake be careful." The sound of glass rattling slightly against metal caught Alan's ears and he stood still listening to the conversation. "I need to get something from the front. I'll be back in a minute." Alan braced himself to look confused and delirious, not much effort was needed. Somehow he didn't think he was supposed to hear that conversation.

"Check on our guest while you're at it, will ya. I think I heard him coughing when I came back in." The sound of a door opening hit the young rescuer and he let his face fall to his chest. It was easy to feign exhaustion and deliria seeing as his body still felt drunk but his mind was waking up and thinking quickly. The man who'd entered didn't come for him straight away so he tried to look even more convincing by moving into a dazed position but as he gripped the racking and tried to move forwards, his body lost all strength and he promptly fell to the floor in a loud heap which, in turn, triggered another coughing spell. He was curled up on the floor, trembling pathetically with the exertion of choking half to death when the man he'd heard arrived in the aisle. Not that he'd noticed until the other man spoke.

He looked up at the sound of his voice nearby and found a soot ridden man in a white lab coat fumbling around in a storage box. A few seconds later he pulled some strange circular object out and quickly put it in his pocket before pushing the box aside and turning his attention to the boy. Upon realising he was awake, the man called out to his partner.

"Hey Jack! He's awake!" He edged closer and quickly felt his temperature. Alan closed his eyes at the warmth the man was radiating. "Your temperature's down too…" He muttered under his breath and set about checking his relative health. "Can you talk?" He asked sounding silly.

"Where…?" Alan gasped, his voice losing what little volume it had. He knew where he was now but if he was to find out what was going on here he'd have to put on an act. The man smiled grimly.

"No where special." He muttered as he helped the boy to sit up. In the few minutes he'd been standing, Alan's body had over exerted itself and felt even heavier. He tried to comply with the man's instructions but for some reason he was having trouble coordinating his limbs. The man seemed to know what he was doing which gave Alan the suspicion that he'd seen this kind of thing before.

"Why can't I move?" He asked the man, not really expecting a helpful answer. He didn't get one either which only frustrated him more.

"Trust me you don't want to know." Well that was a silly reply. Of course he wanted to know, that's why he asked!

"Please, tell me…" The man paused his checking. Alan held his breath. Those few seconds felt like hours as they passed in rueful silence. Finally the man sighed, a sign of defeat.

"It's a new project we're working on. It was the only thing at hand; all the pain killers and sedatives are gone. Don't worry, you'll feel a little drunk and a bit queasy for a while but it'll pass." It was better than nothing he supposed but it still wasn't the whole truth. He wanted to know why the man had deemed it necessary to drug him in the first place. He'd mentioned sedatives, so maybe the man was a doctor? Perhaps he'd been found in a bad shape? He didn't know but he was grateful to the man for reacting regardless.

"Thank you." The older man seemed taken aback by Alan's forwardness but his reply was lost as the other man finally called back.

"Oi Ferris what're you doing?! We need to move!" Ferris quickly secured Alan's swaying torso against a racking unit and turned his head a little to shout back his reply. The cold bars bit into his back and it was then that he realised his uniform was missing too. He caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of a glass vial opposite, it confirmed his thoughts; he was in the t-shirt and shorts he'd been wearing on the island. Maybe that was why he felt so cold…

"I'm checking the kid, he woke up." The man called back. Alan felt himself slipping to the left but he was unable to stop his descent. A firm grip halted his movement as Ferris propped him back up, keeping his hand on the boy's shoulder just incase he slid again.

"Bring him back here… I want him where I can see him." If he didn't have suspicions before, he would have done now. That was a basic mistake; 'I want him where I can see him…' a distrust of someone who couldn't move or fight back was usually described as a fear of others discovering a secret and being free to repeat it. Ferris turned back to him.

"Can you stand?" Alan thought about it before giving a shaky nod.

"I'll try." He replied allowing the man to take his arm in a firm grip. He braced himself and pushed up with his legs, his feet slid a little on the cold floor and in a sudden whirl of colours and lights he found himself supported by Ferris in an almost standing position. He blinked a few times to clear his vision before reaching out shakily to the racking for support.

A rumbling boom vibrated through the floor before a loud crash echoed loudly in the room. Dust fell from above and both men looked up. A thin crack had appeared on the otherwise flawless ceiling; something had just crashed on top of the refrigerator. They needed to move. Suspicions aside, he wouldn't survive if he refused to follow the man to an uncertain fate. As it was, an uncertain fate was far more acceptable than a certain fate with an abrupt end and no future to speak of.

White knuckled and stubbornly determined to survive; Alan forced his body to obey his commands, gripping the rack as he pushed himself forward. Ferris held his other arm tightly under his shoulder and pulled him quickly toward a door at the back of the refrigerator. In the back of his mind, Alan's thoughts screamed at him about this being the only opening back to the warehouse and consequently back to Gordon. And yet as he thought it, a nagging feeling told him that Gordon was safe, that he'd been found.

In the corner of his eye, he caught the glimpse of an unnatural light but as he turned to look it was gone. An explosion perhaps? Or a reflection of some kind? He shook it off and followed the other man's instructions as they continued to hobble out of the room.

The sudden darkness of the corridor they'd entered was a vast contrast but more so a relief; he hadn't realised the strain the white paint was causing him until he entered the warm dark corridor. A pressure seemed to lift in his mind as Ferris helped him to find a hand rail. Briefly he let go of the boy to firmly close the door. An inky blackness engulfed the two of them.

"Careful, there's a set of stairs in front of you." Ferris's grip on his shoulder was back and gently guiding him forward. He stepped out expecting the floor to be lower than his other foot. The hand rail curved downwards slightly and carefully he managed to descend down the first step. It was easier after that.

"Ok we're coming up to a corner; you'll see a light in a minute." Ferris's commentary was reassuring in the darkness and pretty soon his words rang true; they came to a corner and as they turned he could see a vague strip of light at floor level. It was the bottom of a door, he realised, and as they drew closer he could hear more glass vials clinking away behind it.

"Hey, what are you doing back here?" He asked curiously, his attention distracted by the clinking sound of glass against glass. Ferris didn't answer. Alan shrugged it off, not noticing the tension building as a shadowed man crept up behind them; a rough piece of wood in his hands. Ferris opened the door expecting to find Jack where he'd left him, but to both men's astonishment the room held no human life.

And as Alan looked around, he started recognising equipment and labels. It was slow due to his drugged stupor but his mind finally made the jump.

"Wait a minute…This isn't a Chemist's lab…This is a drug bust…" He turned his accusing eyes on the man next to him who fell speechless. But before he could say anymore, darkness hit him hard. He gave strangled cry before crumpling to the floor, unconscious.

Ferris stood flabbergasted at the boy's prone form on the floor as Jack stopped next to him, aiming a gun at the boy's head. All that hard work for nothing? Ferris frowned, no not this time. He made the decision as stepped over the boy's body, blocking Jack's aim.

"What are you doing? We can't take him with us! Get out of the way!" Jack cried emphasizing his warnings with a wave of his gun. But Ferris stood firm. The boy had reached out to him, pulled something deep inside and brought it to the surface.

"I'm not letting you kill the poor boy!" He said, calmly squaring his shoulders and staring the man down. He was determined on this one.

"Will you open your eyes? He's seen too much, he's seen our faces! We can't leave him here to confirm who we are later…" Jack argued, still adamant that the boy's death would solve that problem.

"No he's seen MY face." Ferris corrected him but that only cemented Jack's feelings on this point. Ferris was a brilliant chemist who was willing to experiment and produce mass drugs to the Boss's clients. If he was detained, caught or otherwise taken from the Boss's world there's be a world of pain for anyone responsible and no one would survive to tell the tale.

"Exactly! So why _not_ kill him?" Jack almost yelled. Ferris knew he was endangering himself by protecting the boy but after that small exchange he'd had with him up in the refridgerator, he couldn't bring himself to let Jack kill him. There was something about him…

"Why kill him after all the effort we used to keep him alive?" He replied. Jack seemed to falter at this. They'd rescued the boy from the fire outside but for what reason he was still trying to figure out. If the boy had remained unconscious then maybe he could have just left him in the refridgerator while they made their escape. The boy would have been oblivious to what was going on and still be alive but now that he knew… now that he'd seen and confirmed what he suspected.

"Well, what do you suggest?" He asked, expecting Ferris to falter and struggle for a response but Ferris seemed ready with an answer.

"We take him with us." He said calmly. Jack almost exploded.

"What!" Ferris didn't seem fazed. Instead he met his friend with a steady eye. His stubborn signature streak was in full force. Jack couldn't see the boy's spark. Jack couldn't appreciate another brilliant mind. He was sure that if he managed to keep the boy alive, he'd be able to help him escape this secret underground life later on. The poor boy had only stumbled on to this path and now he was being pulled down it at a speed he might not be able to keep up with. But Ferris was sure he'd be able to get him out before he was drawn in too far.

"He's strong, he's got a smart head and he's young enough to be trained, right? Besides, the Boss'll get a hefty price for his pretty head…" He said, reasoning his suggestion. He watched as his friend deflated and lowered his gun.

"The Boss'll kill us after this…" He muttered. Ferris sensed the man's defeat and stepped forward to remove the gun from his hands and offer a reassurance.

"Then this can be payment, or at least some of it." He said, "An IR agent at his mercy… that's a history marker… more than enough to warrant the loss of one drug lab." Jack relented seeing the logic and finally agreeing.

"Fine, tie him up and keep him out. I don't want him waking up anytime soon." Ferris nodded. It was going to be a rocky road from now on but the boy was alive… that was good enough for now.

* * *

Virgil stopped the SRV with a sudden jolt denying fiercely what he was seeing. Alan's IR uniform lay in a pile just ahead, with Gordon's helmet in pieces a few steps away. He swore loudly and jumped out of the vehicle running over to the only sign that his little brother was still alive. Though for how much longer without his uniform, he didn't know. 

"Alan!" he called, the boy couldn't be too far. He had to be able to hear him… "ALAN!" He turned in a circle searching the flames and smoke for the familiar mop of blonde hair that he was missing terribly. "Come on bro don't do this to me. I'm too young to go grey." He muttered to himself as he looked for a marker of some kind… "Alan! Answer me damnit!"

It was then that he noticed the large silver doors to his left. Without even thinking, he moved on auto pilot and opened the doors with a grunt of exertion. As he stepped inside, the whoosh of flames quietened. He was able to hear the slight ruckus that came from the doorway at the back of the cold white room. Instantly suspisious, he carefully moved closer to the door and listened; his instincts telling him to keep quiet.

There were voices, unfamiliar but very English. He was only just able to distinguish what was being said and he listened intently.

_"We take him with us."_

_"What!"_ There were two people, arguing over taking someone somewhere… a nagging feeling found his stomach and began to gnaw at him from inside. His gut was telling him that Alan was down there but his head was still unsure.

_"He's strong, he's got a smart head and he's young enough to be trained right? Besides, the Boss'll get a hefty price for his pretty head…"_ As the man spoke, his head started agreeing with his gut. But there was still a possibility that it wasn't Alan down there.

_"The Boss'll kill us after this…"_

_"Then this can be payment, or at least some of it."_ A pause then the next words confirmed his gut feeling, _"An IR agent at his mercy… that's a history marker… more than enough to warrant the loss of one drug lab."_ Virgil almost cried. His baby brother was alive but, this situation was even worse. He was sure now he'd found the killers Scott had warned him about and they had his brother with them. If he didn't do something soon, he'd never see Alan again.

_"Fine, tie him up and keep him out. I don't want him waking up anytime soon."_ Virgil stood to make his move but just as he did several things happened; his radio sparked into life with a loud warning just as the ceiling came down on top of him, crushing him under its weight. Something struck his helmet hard enough to smash it open. It rolled away and he watched it disappear before another blow hit his unprotected head enough to send stars in front of his vision.

As the darkness swallowed him, his last thoughts were of Alan and how he was going to get out of this one…

"Sorry bro…" he managed before letting his eyes drift shut.


End file.
